I /ft &44^£<& «"'*■ &W?& 1<^y 




mn^o we: n %m 3mtt 



MORNING EXEECISES, 



FOR 



EVERY DAY IN THE YEAR 



BY REV. WILLIAM JAY. 

II 



FROM THE EDITION OF HIS WORKS REVISED BY HIMSELF. 



'•'Never be without a book in daily reading, of a direct scriptural and devotional 
tendency." hale. 

The testimonies of thy grace 

I set hefore mine eyes ; 
Thence I derive my daily strength, 
And there my comfort lies. -watts. 



PUBLISHED BY THE 
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 

NEW YORK: 150 NASSAU-STREET. 
BOSTON: 28 CORNHILL. 



tfU« a • 






14-r 



/ 



/2 



CONTENTS 



THE MOENING EXERCISES. 



S3 



JANUARY. 

1. Reflections for the new year- • • -Exod. 

2. The divine assurance Gen. 

3. The cessation of the manna • • • -Josh. 

4. Seasonable strength Deut. 

5. Self-renunciation '• ■ Rev. 

6. The heart united to religion • • • -Psa. 

7. Epenetus Rom. 

8. John's friendship for G-aius 3 John 

9. The perpetual guide Psa. 

10. The character of Cornelius Acts 

11. The dwelling-place of Jesus- • • -John 

12. Regard to Israel's weakness- • • -Exod. 

13. Repentance flowing from mercy- Rom. 

14. The birthday - Gen. 

15. Spiritual devotion Psa. 

16. God's thoughts - Jer. 

17. The use of the law Gal. 

18. Hope exceeded Gen. 

19. Noah's walk Gen. 

20. The dove Luke 

21. Moses apprized of his death • • • -Num. 

22. The Scriptures opened Luke 

23. The spiritual beggar Luke 

24. The blessed people Psa. 

25. Joseph with his sick father Gen. 

26. Heavenly preparation 2 Cor. 

27. The healthful inhabitant Isa. 

28. Tenderness of God's care Deut. 

29. The unlonely solitude John 

30. The lovely household Acts 

31. The bitter waters healed Exod. 

FEBRUARY. 

1. Faith questioned John 

2. Creature dissatisfaction Psa. 

3. Important recollection Deut. 

4. Jacob's prayer Gen. 

5. Union with Christ 1 Thess 

6. The unlooked-for companion- • • -Luke 

7. The impotent man tried John 

8. Joseph in prison Gen. 

9. Exultation in God Psa. 



40:2 
32:12 

5:12 
33:25 

4:10 
86:11 
16:5 
2 
48:14 
10:2 

1:38 
13:17 

2:4 
40:20 
25:1 
29: 11 

3:24 
48:11 

6:9 

3:21 
27:12 
24 : 32 
11:9 

3:8 
48:1 

5:5 
33 : 24 

1:31 
16 : 32 
10:7 
15:25 



16:31 
55:6 
24:18 
32:9 
.5:10 
24:13 
5:8 
39:20 
34:2 



10. Sobriety 1 Thess. 5 : 8 

11. Children of the day 1 Thess. 5 : 5 

12. Mutual aid Num. 10 : 31 

13. The plaintive prayer Psa. 25 : 16 

14. The importance of obedience - - - John 15 : 14 

15. The real miracle Acts 3 : 9 

16. The three heroes Dan. 3 : 12 

17. The joyful servant Psa. 86 : 4 

18. Paul wishing to see Rome Rom. 1 : 10 

19. Peter weeping Mark 14 : 72 

20. Religious growth Mai. 4 : 2 

21. The discouraged pilgrim Num. 21 : 4 

22. Earthly comforts blessed Exod. 23 : 25 

23. Conversion of a sinner- - Jas. 5 : 20 

24. God's people glorified Zech. 9 : 16 

25. Paul's salutation of the Romans - Rom. 16 : 15 

26. Jesus weeping over Jerusalem- -Luke 19:41 

27. Divine knowledge Col. 1:10 

28. The love of Jesus to his own- • • -John 13 : 1 

MARCH. 

1. Desirable fellowship Num. 10 : 32 

2. Peter following afar off Matt. 26 : 58 

3. God only true Rom. 3 : 4 

4. Saints in the Lord's hand Deut. 33 : 3 

5. Flesh and spirit Rom. 7 : 25 

6. The heavenly proposal Deut. 1 : 21 

7. The friend of Jesus John 15 : 15 

8. Union of hope and fear Psa. 33 : 18 

9. Strength in the Lord Eph. 6 : 10 

10. Robbery of God Mai. 3 : 8 

11. Loving-kindnesses Isa. 63 : 7 

12. Mutual service Gal. 5 : 13 

13. Fear forbidden Deut. 20 : 1 

14. Paul's desire Phil. 3 : 8 

15. The highest prize Phil. 3 : 8 

16. The two births Gal. 1:15 

17. Power and goodness Rom. 10 : 12 

18. Peter and John Acts 3 : 1 

19. Advantages of inquiry Deut. 32 : 7 

20. Daily mercy Psa. 86 : 3 

21. God's joy in his people -Zeph. 3 : 17 

22. Trials not strange 1 Pet. 4 : 12 



CONTENTS 



23. Confidence from knowledge 2 Tim. 1 

24. Walking in (rod's truth Psa. 86. 

25. The privileges of the upright- • • -Psa. 37 

26. (rod's word and works John 14 

27. The Saviour's agency Mark 7 : 

28. Satan disappointed John 14 : 

29. The gracious purpose 1 Thess. 5 : 

30. Departure of Christ desired Matt. 8 : 

31. The Saviour's obedience John 14 : 



APRIL. 

1. The Moody sweat Luke 

2. The Saviour's apprehension John 

3. The Saviour's stipulation John 

4. The death of Christ Rom. 

5. The burial of Christ 1 Cor. 

6. Christ seen of numbers 1 Cor. 

7. The Holy One incorruptible Psa. 

8. The grand attainment Phil. 

9. Death and life with Christ Rom. 

10. The glory that followed 1 Pet. 

11. Character of gospel times Zech. 

12. Justification free Rom. 

13. The Saviour's attraction Zech. 

14. Creature dependence vain Lam. 

15. The sad defection Matt. 

16. Christians not comfortless John 

17. The divine engraving Zech. 

18. The leaven in the meal Matt. 

19. Love to the brethren 1 John 

20. Christ praying in his agony Luke 

21. Seeking Christ crucified Matt. 

22. The rising and resting prayer- • -Num. 

23. David's resolution Psa. 

24. Too late Luke 

25. Early rising Mark 

26. The learner Luke 

27. Members one of another Rom. 

28. Christ leaving this world John 

29. Angelic succor Luke 

30. Peter remembered Mark 

MAY. 

1. Vineyards in the wilderness • • • -Hosea 

2. Dedication of David's house Psa. 

3. The divine revelation Gal. 

4. Self-pleasing renounced Rom. 

5. The one thing needful John 

6. The seat of prayer 2 Sam, 

7. The Sun of righteousness Mai. 

8. Looking for God Isa. 

9. Daniel delivered Dan. 

10. The departure from Egypt Exod. 

11. The cripple's adherence Acts 

12. The angry disciples reproved - ■ -Luke 

13. Divine relief Rom. 

14. Passing under the rod Ezek. 

15. The bond of the covenant Ezek. 

16. Christ going up to Jerusalem- - -Luke 

17. Strong faith Dan. 

18. Good to be here Matt. 

19. Washing the disciples' feet John 

20. An interest in Christ ascertained 2 Cor. 

21. The day of rejoicing Phil. 

22. Justification by faith Gal. 



22:44 

18:7 

18:8 

5:8 

15:4 

15:6 

16:10 

3:11 

6:8 



3:24 
3:9 
4:20 
26:56 
14:18 
3:9 
13:33 
3:16 
22:44 
28:5 
10:35 
61:2 
19:42 
1:35 
8:35 
12:5 
13:1 
22:43 
16:7 



2:15 
30 



16 
3 

10 

27 

4:2 

8:17 

6:23 

13:18 

3:11 

9 : 52 

7:25 

20:37 

20:37 

9:51 

3:17 

17:4 

13:4 

9:15 

2:16 

2:16 



23. The only Master Matt. 23 : 8 

24. Wishing to go over Jordan Deut. 3 : 25 

25. Grieving the Spirit Eph. 4 : 30 

26. Christ's inheritance Psa. 2 : 8 

27. The tongue loosed Matt. 9 : 33 

28. Knowledge increased 2 Peter 3 : 18 

29. God's offspring Deut. 14 : 1 

30. Prayer ind i usable Psa. 2 : 8 

31. The food blessed Luke 24 : 30 



JUNE. 

The vine John 15 : 5 

The branches John 15 : 5 

Our hope 1 Tim. 1 : 1 

The water-pot left John 4 : 28 



The 



morning arm- 



--Isa. 33:2 



Humble walking Micah 

The Lord our Judge Isa. 

Grace in Christ 2 Tim. 

Piety and charity Acts 

Delighting in mercy Micah 

Isaac old and dim ■- Gen. 

The fiery cloudy pillar Exod. 

Sins punished and improved - - - - Num. 

Ignorance of Christ John 

The nations divided Deut. 

God's loving-kindness Psa. 

The value of the Saviour Lam. 

Paul at tent-making Acts 

The strength of grace 2 Tim, 

The blessed heritage Psa. 

Satan resisted Eph. 

Conversion of the Samaritaness • John 
The God of nature and grace- • -Psa. 
Conversion of the Corinthians - -Acts 
God choosing our resting-place • • Num. 
Christ talking with the woman ■ John 

A shadow from the heat Isa. 

The divine inquiry 

Paul encouraged at Corinth 
The gladdening river 

JULY. 

The sight of God's glory Exod. 33: 

Israel's song at Beer Num. 21 : 

Faint Judg. 8: 

Pursuing Judg. 8: 

Submission to God Jas. 4 : 

The end of ordinances Matt. 11 : 

Indwelling sin deplored Rom. 7 : 

Justification and sanctification - -1 Cor. 6: 

Our Lord's praying Luke 11 : 

Christian gratitude 2 Cor. 9 : 

Elijah's journey to Hoxeb 1 Kingsl9 : 

Daily dying 1 Cor. 15 : 

The divine requisition Ezek. 36 : 

The Saviour's peace John 14 : 

Injuriousness of unbelief Matt. 13 : 

Former days remembered Heb. 10 : 

The holy unction 1 John 2 : 

Riches of mercy Eph. 2 : 

The bow in the cloud Ezek. 1 : 

Intimacy with Jesus- - Acts 4 : 

Experience of divine grace Psa. 34 : 

The victor Rev. 3 : 



6:8 
33:22 
2:1 
3:2 
7:18 
27:1 
13:21 
16:38 
14:9 
32:8 
26:3 
4:20 
18:1 
2:1 
61:5 
4:27 
4:3 
29:11 
18:7 
10:33 
4:27 
25:4 
•lKingsl9:13 
•Acts 18 : 9 
• Psa. 46:4 



CONTENTS. 



23. Encouragement to prayer Psa. 86 : 5 | 22. God the husband of his church- -Isa. 54 : 5 

24. Grod proved Mai. 

25. The prophet of the Lord Acts 

26. Treasure hid in a field Matt. 

27. The gracious state Rom. 

28. The seeker encouraged IChron 

29. Showing himself risen Acts 

30. The third appearance John 

31. Jesus at the lake John 

AUGUST. 

1. The questioning of Peter John 

2. Peter's destiny John 

3. Curiosity reproved John 

4. Circumstantial truth John 

5. Harvest Joel 

6. The sickle used Joel 

7. The kingdom of Grod 1 Cor. 

8. Learning to pray Luke 

9. The seasonable admonition Jer. 

10. The growing empire John 

11. Commendation Phil. 

12. God's holiness ^Psa. 

13. The disinterested inquiry 2 Sam. 

14. Mephibosheth's humility 2 Sam. 

15. The waiting church - • • • • Psa. 

16. Christ's power and dominion Matt. 

17. Extent of Christian knowledge- -1 John 

18. Morning devotion Psa. 

19. Grod's union with his people • • • -Jer. 

20. God's going forth as the morning - Hosea 

21. Lazarus sick John 

22. The word of Christ Col. 

23. "Waiting rewarded Psa. 

24. The smitten Shepherd Zech. 

25. The Hearer of prayer Psa. 

26. Divine espousals • Hosea 

27. Heirship • Titus 

28. Yaried experience Psa. 

29. The blessing of faith Gal. 

30. Holy vigilance • •--•" 1 Peter 

31. The never-failing relation Hosea 

SEPTEMBER. 

1. The word of life Phil. 

2. The practical preacher Phil. 

3. The pious exclamation 1 Sam. 

4. The Saviour's legacy John 

5. Divine strengthening Zech. 

6. God conducting Israel Deut. 

7. Hosea Hosea 

8. God's forbearance Horn. 

9. The Christian joyful Isa. 

10. Joy before God Isa. 

11. Joy of harvest Isa. 

12. God's love to his people Deut. 

13. The title known Gen. 

14. The needful caution Pro v. 

15. The important inquiry Acts 

16. The surrender Acts 

17. The use of means Matt. 

18. The freed prisoner Zech. 

19. The successful follower Hosea 

20. The sinless Saviour 1 John 

21. The divine presence Exod. 



3:10 


23. 


3:22 


24. 


13:44 


25. 


5:2 


26. 


.16:10 


27. 


1:3 


23. 


21:14 


29. 


21:1 


30. 


21:15 


1. 


21:18 


2. 


21 : 19 


3. 


21:23 


4. 


3:13 


5. 


3:13 


6. 


4:20 


7. 


11:1 


8. 


13:16 


9. 


3:30 


10. 


2:12 


11. 


30:4 


12. 


9:1 


13. 


9:7 


14. 


65:1 


15. 


17:27 




2:20 


16. 


5:3 


17. 


.3:14 


18. 


6:3 


19. 


11:3 


20. 


3:16 


21. 


37:34 


22. 


13:7 


23. 


65:2 


24. 


2:19 


25. 


3:7 


26. 


65:3 


27. 


3:9 


28. 


r 1:17 


29. 


2:19 


30. 




31. 


2:16 




2:16 


1. 


3:9 


2. 


14:27 


3. 


10 : 12 


4. 


32:10 


5. 


1:1 


6. 


2:4 


7. 


9:3 


8. 


9:3 


9. 


9:3 


10. 


33:3 


11. 


15:8 


12. 


3:5 


13. 


9:6 


14. 


9:6 


15. 


17:27 


16. 


9:11 


17. 


6:3 


18. 


3:5 


19. 


33:14 


20. 



Mutual dependence Phil. 4 : 2 

The Christian obligation 1 John 2 : 6 

25. Impatience Psa. 55 : 8 

Peter brought to Christ John 1 : 42 

7. Zeal to save John 1 : 42 

Zion's sons Lam. 4 : 2 

The call to depart Micah 2 : 10 

Filial duty Mai. 1 : 6 

OCTOBER. 

Death not always desirable Amos 5 : 18 

The ncble resolve Psa. 85 : 8 

Christian moderation Phil. 4 : 5 

The shining light Prov. 4 : 18 

Christ entering heaven 1 Peter 3 : 22 

The stranger and sojourner Psa. ' 39 : 12 

The well-attended flock Ezek. 34 : 15 

Prayer and thanksgiving Phil. 4 : 6 

Adversity useful Hosea 13 : 5 

Changes in the wilderness Num. 10 : 12 

The ascending Saviour followed - Luke 24:50 

The good Shepherd John 10 : 14 

Sparing mercy Mai. 3:17 

Prosperity injurious • • • • Hosea 13 : 6 

Difference between words and 

deeds Deut. 5 : 28 

Brevity of the Scripture John 21 : 25 

The alarm Rom. 13 : 11 

Confidence and caution Psa. 85 : 8 

Inattention Isa. 42 : 20 

The blessed sight Isa. 33 : 17 

Divine solicitude Deut. 5 : 29 

Design of the incarnation John 10 : 10 

Life more abundantly John 10 : 10 

The morning star Rev. 2 : 28 

The door John 10 : 9 

The subjects agents too Jer. 4 : 14 

The clean heart Jer. 4 : 14 

The blessedness of loving God- -1 Cor. 8: 3 

Prayer and trouble • • ■ -Psa. 86 : 7 

Messiah the Prince Dan. 9 : 25 

Concern for the best cause Psa. 72 : 15 

NOVEMBER. 

How to read the Scriptures Luke 10 : 26 

The season of life - - 1 Peter 4 : 2 

6:10 

8:7 



Joy in sorrow 2 Cor 

The divine healer Matt. 

God for ever ours Psa. 

The revealer of secrets • • -Dan. 

Unbelief of Christ's brethren --- John 
Captiousness of the Pharisees- • -Matt. 

The whole and the sick Matt. 

Christ the resurrection ■ • - John 

Joy in God's salvation 

God's sole agency 

The needful disturbance Deut. 

Divine example Deut. 

All-sufficient assistance Deut. 

God's hidden ones Psa. 

The seed of the Messiah Psa. 

The enlarged prayer -Psa. 

The importance of faith John 

"With Jesus in the garden John 



48:14 

2:28 

7:5 

9:11 

9:12 

11 : 25 

1 Sam. 2:1 

Deut. 32:12 

32:11 

32:11 

32:11 

83:3 

89:36 

81:10 

9:35 

18:26 



CONTENTS. 



Elisha's sickness • 2 Kingsl3 : 14 

Partial zeal • • • 2 Kingsl3 : 19 

Elisha's sepulchre 2 Kingsl3 : 20 

Prosperity in the divine life Psa. 92 : 12 

The evidence of faith John 9 : 35 

The resting-place forgotten Jer. 50 : 6 

Union of faith and love 1 Tim. 1 : 14 

Habitual piety Prov. 23 : 17 

The two commandments 1 John 3 : 23 

The personal inquiry John 9 : 35 



DECEMBER. 

The groundless accusation Job 1 : 9 

The persevering suppliant Matt. 15 : 27 

Job's confession Job 40 : 4 

Knowledge of our sinfulness- • • -Job 13 : 23 

Our peace in trouble Micah 5 : 5 

The divine defence Job 1 : 10 

The coming soul discouraged • • -Luke 9 : 42 

The apostle's. glorying 2 Cor. 11 : 30 

I am a burden to myself Job 7 : 20 

Sabbath influences ■ -Her. 1 : 10 



11. Job's praying for his friends • • • -Job 

12. The Marys at the sepulchre Matt. 

13. The wisdom of zeal Phil. 

14. The needless alarm Job 

15. The heavenly Shepherd E.ev. 

16. True friendship 1 Sam. 

17. The trial of the scribe Matt. 

18. The poverty of Jesus Matt. 

19. New-born citizens Psa. 

20. Jesus at the feast John 

21. The end of affliction Job 

22. The valuation of the Sabbath- • -Isa. 

23. Attachment to Zion Psa. 

24. The dayspring • Luke 

25. Birth of Jesus Luke 

26. The angel with the shepherds- • -Luke 

27. The great sight at Bethlehem- • -Luke 

28. The pious pair- • • - -Luke 

29. Strong confidence Job 

30. The brevity of life Job 

31. Gratitude and confidence Acts 



42:10 



27 


61 


1 


9 


10 


o 


7 


17 


23 


16 


S 


19 


8 


20 


S" 


:4 


11 


56 


10 


2 


5S 


13 


S7 


7 


1 


78 


2 


1 


2 


8 


2 


15 


1 


6 


13 


15 


10 


20 


28: 


15 



PREFACE. 



A publication is not rendered improper or needless, because works 
of a similar nature have preceded it. Little would ever issue from the 
press, if such a principle were admitted. For what new thing is there 
under the sun? Neither is an author in this case supposed to under- 
value the labors of those who have gone before him. He only adds to 
their number, with his own probabilities of excitement. And he may 
awaken fresh attention in the minds even of those who have made use 
of his predecessors ; while he may fall into the hands of some who have 
to begin this kind of reading. Every author, too, has not only his own 
connections, but his own manner; and thus, as the tastes of readers 
vary, more individuals can be gratified. 

The following pages, it is believed, will be found to differ a little 
from works of the same species ; especially in making the exercises 
always express more fully the import of the textual motto at the head of 
them, in the arrangement of a greater diversity of subjects, in the selec- 
tion of more passages from the less observed and less improved parts 
of Scripture ; and in the seizure of hints of instruction from the more 
indirect and incidental strokes of the sacred penmen. 

The author confesses the work was much more arduous in the execu- 
tion than he had apprehended in the prospect. The chief difficulty arose 
from the necessity of so much compression and brevity. It was found 
no easy thing, in two or three pages, not only to secure the spirit of the 
passage, but to give it some illustration and effect by glimpses of sce- 
nery, and glances at historical facts and traits of character, where diffu- 
sion and particularity were forbidden. While he makes no scruple to 
avow that this was his wish and design, he laments sincerely that he 
has not more perfectly succeeded in accomplishing them. Leisure and 
an exclusive devoting of himself to the plan for some months, or even 
weeks, might have yielded something more satisfactory. But complaint 
is useless, and apology vain. He has done, in his circumstances, what 
he could. And it yields him pleasure to think that, besides some other 
works of a general nature for the religious public, and especially seve- 



8 PREFACE. 

ral for the use of families, he has now produced something mow particu- 
larly for the closet. 

The writer has always been attached to publications of this kind ; 
and from his own experience and observation, fae is convinced of their 
adaptation to usefulness. He cannot but wish that Christians would 
read the Scripture itself more, and endeavor to reflect themselves on the 
passages which, either in a continued course, or in selections at the time, 
come before them. The power of doing this would improve by the use ; 
and the pleasure and advantage resulting from the facility, would amply 
reward any difficulty in the acquisition. But it is to be lamented, many 
do not reflect: and so the customary and cursory perusal, for 'want of 
thought, produces little impression ; and the paragraph or chapter, or it 
may be, even chapters, are immediately forgotten. But a verse or sen- 
tence separately placed before the eye, is more distinctly remarked ; and 
being illustrated in a brief and lively comment, is more easily remem- 
bered. To supply such assistance cannot be reckoned an attempt to 
lead people from the word of God, but to it ; and it may teach those 
who use it, in time, to do for themselves what it may be necessary at 
first in another to do for them. 

As to the subjects of these exercises, the author has aimed to blend 
doctrine, experience, and practice together. There is danger of Anti- 
nomianism when the attention is too exclusively called to doctrinal points ; 
of enthusiasm, when it is too exclusively attached to experimental ; and 
of legality, when it is too exclusively confined to practical. It is the 
proportioned admixture of sentiment, feeling, and duty that qualifies 
each, and renders them all not only safe, but profitable. The writer, 
also, has not limited himself to the usual mode of making the subjects 
of such meditations always of the consolatory kind. Christians, in the 
divine life, want something besides comfort. They arc to have their 
pure minds stirred up, by way of remembrance ; to suffer the word of 
exhortation ; to hear the reproofs of wisdom ; to walk humbly with 
God, and wisely with men. Indeed, the best way to gain comfort, is not 
always to seek it directly, but mediately ; and the medium may require 
self-denial and patience. It is the same with comfort as with reputa- 
tion : it is more certainly secured as a consequence, than by making it 
a mere design. 

The writer has not often put the exercise into the form of a solilo- 
quy, or generally expressed himself in the language of the first person. 
He found the common mode of address better suited, especially to the 
explanatory and hortative parts of his design. Why should not the 
reader consider himself the addressed, rather than the speaker ; and by 



PREFACE. 9 

immediate application, make, as much as possible, the reflections his 
own? 

As to the style itself, what was principally designed for pious use in 
retirement could not be -too clear, easy, forcible, and pointed ; too much 
abounding with terse briskness, and naivete' of expression; too free 
from the tameness and smoothness by which common, but important 
truths are aided to slide down from the memory into oblivion. 

In no less than seven hundred and thirty exercises, there may be 
some coincidences, and the same thought, image, or example may occur 
more than once- it was hardly possible to prevent it, as the whole 
series could not be kept in memory, or be continually compared. As 
the work advanced, the subjects too frequently increased in length, 
beyond the bounds he had prescribed to himself. The case was, the 
printer pressed upon him, and he had not time to be shorter. 

. But enough of this. The author commends the work to that part of 
the pious public who love and practise retreat ; who wish not only to 
read the Scriptures alone, but to observe their beauties and advantages ; 
who, while they neglect not their own meditations, are thankful to 
derive help from others, and often exclaim, " A word fitly spoken, how 
good is it!" who wish to be in the fear of the Lord all the day long; 
who would not have their religion a visitor, but an inmate ; who would 
speak of divine things, not by a kind of artificial effort, but out of the 
abundance of the heart; and who know how much it conduces to our 
sanctification to keep the mind filled with good things, not only as these 
will exclude base intrusions, but will be sure to leave somewhat of their 
own tinge and likeness behind. 

As to readers of this character, the author trusts the materials here 
furnished will not be unacceptable, of whatever religious denomina- 
tion they may be found. He considers the community in which, by the 
providence of God, he himself labors, not as a party, but only as a 
part ; and he is not an enemy to the whole army, because he is attached 
to his, own corps. He does not oppose, but cooperate. He has not 
attempted in these volumes to suppress the leading sentiments which he 
holds, but he has not harshly obtruded them ; nor has he availed him- 
self of opportunities to bring forward those particular views, in subor- 
dinate matters, in which he may think differently from others. He 
readily allows that every man has a right to state and defend the opin- 
ions which he has derived from conviction ; but his love should abound 
in knowledge and in all judgment, and he should regulate the degree 
of his zeal by the importance of the subject. He is also persuaded that 
in those cases the statement and the defence should be effected in a 



10 PREFACE. 

work avowedly for the purpose, and not be introduced into a publica- 
tion adapted to general edification. How much less circulation and 
usefulness would Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Religion, and other 
good books, have obtained, had their authors inserted their own minor 
partialities, and attacked those of others. In reading a valuable volume 
where such things are found, we should resemble the ox in the meadow, 
who, when he comes to a tuft of grass he dislikes, does not grow angry 
and attempt to tear it up with his horns and hoofs, but placidly leaves 
it, and feeds on in the large and rich pasturage. But all have not this 
"meekness of wisdom." The prejudices of many are powerful and 
quickly excited; and meeting with a passage in the beginning of a 
work by no means essential to its design, they throw it instantly aside, 
and lose all the pleasure and benefit it would otherwise have afforded 
them. 

The work will meet the wishes of those who have not the command 
of much time for private engagements. And this is the case with many 
in our day, not only from the avocations of civil life, but even from the 
calls of religious beneficence. More leisure, indeed, in many instances, 
might be secured by earlier rising, and by more skill and order and 
diligence in the management of all our affairs ; yet the period in which 
we live is peculiar, and the calls of God to labor in doing good in so 
many civil and sacred charities, leave it not our duty to retire and read 
by the hour as our forefathers did. 

He hopes a book of this nature will be a suitable companion to those 
whose advanced years and infirmities will not allow of deep, laborious, 
and lengthened perusals. What is preferable for them, is something 
easy and short and very scriptural. It is observable how much more 
aged believers delight in God's word than in reading any other works. 
It is their " necessary food," and " their dainty meat," when their appe- 
tite for other things fails. It is their solace when the evil days are 
come in which they have no pleasure. It is their support and their 
reliance in weakness and weariness ; and they use it, not for amusement, 
but for relief only. Thus we have seen a man walking forth gaily in 
the morning, carrying his staff under his arm, or twirling it in his hand ; 
but, worn with the toils and fatigues of the day, we have seen him 
returning home in the evening leaning on and pressing it at every weary 
step. 

The work also will suit the afflicted. Retirement and devotion seem 
congenial with trouble, and the sufferer naturally turns to them for 
succor and comfort, But many of the distresses of life prevent or 
abridge the resources they render so desirable and needful. What 



PREFACE. 11 

changes have many experienced by losses and reductions. They are 
called from freedom and ease to the care of thought, the shiftings of 
contrivance, and the exertion of labor. Where now is the leisure they 
once enjoyed for their secluded employments of piety ? Their hours of 
composure are fled, and have only left them hurried and broken mo- 
ments. They can only sip of the brook in the way. 

May the author presume that he may be of some little service to 
some of his brethren in the ministry; not only by aiding their retire- 
ment as Christians — and they have to save themselves, as well as those 
that hear them — but by throwing out hints that may lead them to think 
for the pulpit, and furnishing occasionally outlines of discourses, which 
they can have the merit of filling up? 

He cannot also but wish to be useful to another interesting class — 
the sources of our future families, and the hopes of our churches. Here 
he is tempted to insert an extract from one of the letters he received, 
stimulating him to this undertaking. The name of the writer would 
add weight to his remarks ; but it is concealed, because he is not 
apprized of the liberty now taken ; and his hints were not intended to 
meet the public eye. This excellent, learned, and judicious friend thus 
expresses himself : " I have ventured to put upon paper the idea I have 
conceived of a series of daily contemplations or reflections which, among 
others, shall be adapted to put into the hands of intelligent and edu- 
cated youth, I have a sincere veneration for the intentions of Bogatzky, 
and other similar authors ; but there is such a paucity of thought, such 
a poverty of expression, such a narrowed range of ideas, such a ringing 
of changes incessantly on a few topics, without gracefulness or variety, 
as to render the books exceedingly unattractive to the present rising 
generation. In these cases I conceive we are bound to provide, as far 
as we can, that the food presented to their minds may not disgust by 
the manner in which it is served up ; and that when we put important 
truth in their way, it should be encumbered with as few external obsta- 
cles as the case will admit. Good sense, you have lately told us, is good 
taste ; and that, I consider, is both good sense and good taste in devo- 
tion, which would present to every mind, without the sacrifice of a 
particle of divine truth, such an exterior as may invite, rather than 
repulse. He who has once been effectually gained over to the love of 
the gospel, will retain his affection for it under a very homely form ; 
but he who has yet to be won, will require of us, as to our first 
addresses, some attention to his understanding as well as to his heart. 
My view, then, my dear sir, is, that the selection of texts should involve 
the whole range of revealed truth; and should present it in that com- 



12 PREFACE. 

bined form in which the Scripture exhibits it : where doctrine, duty, 
and privilege blend like the colors that form the pure brightness of 
light ; where religion is never exposed to view as a bare skeleton, but 
as endued with all the properties of life, and in actual existence. Pithy 
sayings, wise experiences, urgent examples, faithful warnings should 
revolve daily beneath the eye, and show the reader all that religion has 
done for others, all it aims to do for them, and all the evils that result 
from the absence of her beneficence. Testimonies also, such as that 
of Chesterfield to the vanity of the world, which he had so fully tried ; 
dying experiences, such as that of Rochester ; confessions of the value 
of religion, such as are found in the letters of Burns ; and passages 

from eminent and striking lives might be introduced, in your own 

way, briefly prefaced or commented upon. Thus the whole might 
allure, by its variety ; interest, by the reach of thought to which it 
leads ; and profitably keep before the mind of youth, amidst daily 
temptations, what religion can do for them, and what the world and 
other things never can do." 

Perhaps, however, if I am not accused of vanity, in making this 
extract from my correspondent, I shall be chargeable with imprudence, 
in publishing a recommendation which, though I admire, I have so much 
failed in following. 

Percy-place, Dec 26, 1828. 



MOKNING EXERCISES. 



/ JANUARY 1. 

" On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle," Exod. 40 : 2. 

And why was this period chosen for the erection? God has always 
reasons for his conduct, but he does not always " give account of any 

rof his matters." We may however make two remarks here. First, 
things that are the same to God, are not the same to us. Our goodness 
extendeth not to him: religion regards the exigences of man, and 
when these are subserved, its provisions will be needless. John saw 
no temple in the new Jerusalem. All places are alike to God ; yet we 

I never feel in a common dwelling the solemnity that seizes us in the 
sanctuary. The first' day of the year was no more to God than any 
other, but it would render the service more memorable and impressive 
to the people. Therefore says he, " On the first day of the first month 
shalt thou set up the tabernacle." Secondly, it is well to begin a new 
year with some good work, and to commence serving God after a new 
manner. 

And have we no tabernacle to set up on this first day of this first 
month? 

Let us begin the year with solemn reflection, and say with Job, 
"When a few years are come, I shall go the way whence I shall not 
return." Let me not only believe this, but think of it, and feel the 
importance of the sentiment. Yes ; in a little time I shall be no more 
seen. How, where shall I then be disposed of? The seasons will 
return as before, but the places that now know me will know me no 
more for ever. Will this be a curse, or a blessing ? If I die in my sins, 
I shall return no more to my possessions and enjoyments, to the calls of 
mercy, to the throne of grace, to the house of prayer. If I die in the 
Lord, I shall — 0, blessed impossibility — return no more to these thorns 
and briers, to this vain and wicked world, to this aching head, to this 
throbbing heart, to these temptations and troubles and sorrows and 
sins. 



14 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Let us begin the year with self-inspection, and say, with the chief 
butler, " I do remember my faults this day." We are prone to think 
of the failings of our fellow-creatures, and often imagine because we 
are free from their faults we are faultless. But we may have other 
faults, we may have worse ; and while a mote is in our brother's eye, 
a beam may be in our own. Let us be open to conviction. Let us 
deal faithfully with our own hearts. Let us not compare ourselves 
with others, and especially the more vile of our fellow-creatures, but 
with our advantages, with our knowledge, with our professions, with 
the law of God. 

Let us begin the year with a determination to abandon whatever 
appears sinful, and say, with Elihu, " If I have done iniquity, I will do 
no more." Should the evil course or the evil passion solicit, let it 
plead in vain while the Saviour-judge says, " If thy right eye offend 
thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee ; for it is profitable for thee 
that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body 
should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, 
and cast it from thee ; for it is profitable for thee that one of thy mem- 
bers should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into 
hell." 

Begin the year with pious and personal dedication, and say, with 
David, " Lord, I am thine ; save me." Through him who is the way, 
yield yourselves unto God. It is your reasonable service. He has 
infinite claims to you. You will never be truly your own till you are 
his. 

Begin the year with relative religion ; and if the worship of God 
has never been established in your family, now commence it, and say, 
with Joshua, " As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." A 
family without prayer is like a house without a roof. It is uncovered 
and exposed ; and we know who has threatened to pour out his fury 
upon the families that call not upon his name. 

Begin the year with fresh concern to be useful, and ask, with Saul 
of Tarsus, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" Let me look at my 
condition, my resources, my opportunities. How can I glorify God 
and promote the welfare of my fellow-creatures ? Is there not a Bible 
to circulate ? Are there not missionaries to support ? Are there none 
perishing for lack of knowledge that I can myself instruct? Have I 
no irreligious neighbors to reclaim? Are there no poor to relieve? 
No widows and fatherless to visit ? 

Begin the year with more conduct in the arrangement of your 
affairs, and resemble Ezra and his brethren, who "did according to the 
custom, as the duty of every day required." God has said; let every 
thing be done decently and in order. Much of your comfort will arise 
from regularity in your meals, in your devotions, in your callings ; and 
your piety will be aided by it. Have a place to receive every thing, 
an end to simplify it, a rule to arrange it. Leave nothing for the mor- 
row that ought to be discharged to-day. Sufficient for each period will 



JANUARY 2. 15 

be its own claims ; and your mind ought to be always at liberty to 
attend to fresh engagements. 

Finally, time — this short, this uncertain, this all-important time — 
upon every instant of which eternity depends, will not allow of our 
trifling away any of its moments. Resolve therefore to redeem it. 
Gather up its fragments, that nothing be lost. Especially rescue it 
from needless sleep ; and if you have hitherto accustomed yourself to 
the shameful indulgence of lying late in bed, begin the new year with 
the habit of early rising ; by which you will promote your health and 
improvement of every kind, and live much longer than others in the 
same number of days, and say, with David, " My voice shalt thou hear 
in the morning, Lord ; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto 
thee, and will look up." 

And if this be your determination, the season will be the date of 
your happiness. God himself says, "From this day will I bless you." 



JANUARY 2. 

"I will surely do thee good." Gen. 32 : 12. 

This is a blessed assurance with which to enter a new year, not 
knowing what a day may bring forth. But what have we to do with 
this promise ? It was given immediately to Jacob, but it equally be- 
longs to every Israelite indeed ; for he never said to the seed of Jacob, 
Seek ye me, in vain. Promises made on particular occasions are in- 
tended for general use and advantage. Paul, referring to the words 
with which God hadencouraged Joshua, applies them to the believing 
Hebrews : " Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be 
content with such things as ye have ; for he hath said, I will never 
leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is 
my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." And 
Hosea, alluding to God's intercourse with Jacob even at Bethel, says, 
"And there he talked with us." 

The very brevity of the promise is a recommendation. We com- 
plain of our memories ; but we can retain these six golden words, " I 
will surely DO thee good." It is also the better for being indefinite. 
Some promises insure an individual blessing ; but we are a mass of 
wants, and this assurance is a comforter that meets every fear, every 
anxiety, every wish. It sets the mind completely at rest with regard 
to any possible contingences. It tells us to be " careful for nothing." 
It enjoins us to " cast all our care upon him, for He careth for us." But 
though specifying nothing in particular, the promise leaves our hope to 
range at large, yet it is to keep within the compass of our real welfare. 
" They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." " I will 
surely do thee good" 

Now the meaning of this assurance must be understood, or else it 
will not harmonize with experience. The people of the world have 



16 MORNING EXERCISES. 

often reproached those who profess to be the blessed of the Lord with 
their poverty and distress, and have asked, "Where is now your God?" 
And they themselves have sometimes been perplexed and dismayed. 
Gideon said, "If God be with us, why then is all this evil befallen us?" 
And Jacob said, "All these things are against me." In an agreeable 
mansion, and enjoying all the comforts of life, no difficulty may be felt 
from the language of God ; but what is Joseph in prison, what is Job 
among the ashes — what is he who says, All the day long have I been 
plagued, and chastened every morning — what is he to make of the 
promise, " I will surely do thee good ?'■ *We must confide in the judg- 
ment of God, and distrust our own. We are short-sighted creatures, 
and easily imposed upon by appearances, and know not what is good 
for us in this vain life which we spend as a shadow. But He cannot be 
mistaken. A wise father will choose far better for his infant, than the 
infant can choose for himself. 

We must always distinguish between what is pleasing and what is 
profitable. Correction is not agreeable to the child ; yet it is so good 
for him, that he who spareth the rod hateth his son. Medicine is unpal- 
atable ; but it is good for the patient, and renewed health will more than 
reconcile him even to the expense of it. The vine-dresser does the tree 
good, not by suffering the wanton shoots to grow on draining the sap, 
but by pruning it, that it may bring forth more fruit. What said David ? 
"It is good for me," that I have prospered? that I have risen from ob- 
scurity ? that I conquered Goliath ? that I gained a victory in the valley 
of salt ? No ; but it is good for me, that Doeg impeached me ; that 
Saul hunted me like a partridge on the mountains ; that Absalom drove 
me from my palace ; that Shimei cursed me on the hill ; that sickness 
brought down my life to the ground ; " it is good for me that I have 
been afflicted." 

We must also look to the conclusion of events. Things good in 
themselves, with regard to us may result in evil ; and things evil in 
themselves may issue in good. Abraham spoke according to our pres- 
ent estimations when he said to the rich man, " Son, remember that 
thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and Lazarus evil things." 
But had we known them both before death, and been assured that the 
one would have been comforted and the other tormented so soon, we 
should have judged the poverty and distresses of Lazarus to have been 
the " good things," and the wealth and luxury of the rich man the " evil 
things." All is ill that ends ill. All is well that ends well. 

But let us believe the truth of this declaration. There are four 
steps by which we may reach the conclusion. The first regards His 
sufficiency. He is able to do us good. Nothing is too hard for the 
Lord. In the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. There is no 
enemy but he can conquer, no exigence but he can relieve. He is able 
to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think. 

The second regards his inclination. He is disposed to do us good. 
His love is not only real, but passes knowledge. He feels towards us 



JANUARY 3 17 

as his jewels, his friends, his children, his bride. He rests in his love, 
and joys over us with singing. 

The third regards his engagement. He is bound to do us good. We 
have not only his word, but his oath ; an oath sworn by himself, because 
he could swear by no greater, and confirmed by the blood of an infinite 
sacrifice. 

The fourth regards his conduct. He has done us good. We have 
had complaints enough to make of others, but of him we are compelled 
to say, " Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, Lord." His good- 
ness and mercy have followed us all the days of our lives. How often 
has he turned the shadow of death into the morning ! 

But when I look at the cross, I see not only proof, but demonstra- 
tion. He has done already far more than remains to be done. " He 
that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all ; how shall 
he not with him also freely give us all things ?" 



JANUARY 3. 



" And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the 
land ; neither had the children of Israel manna any more ; but they did eat of the fruit of 
the land of Canaan that year." Josh. 5 : 12. 

This cessation of the manna is one of the several remarkable occur- 
rences at the crossing of the river Jordan. God is every thing to his 
people. In the wilderness they had no pathway, but he led them in a 
pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They were in dan- 
ger, but he was their defence. They had no abode, but he was their 
dwelling-place. They had no water, but he gave them streams in the 
desert. They had no provisions, but he rained down manna around 
their tents. So that what nature refused, Providence furnished ; and 
what could not be derived from the ground, came from the clouds. 

When the supplies they brought with them from Egypt were spent, 
they feared they were going to perish. They forgot the hand that had 
dried up the sea, and said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness ? 
But he gave them bread from heaven, and for forty years they did eat 
angels' food. What an abundance was necessary for such a multitude ! 
And what a display of divine power was here witnessed ! 

Nor less was it a proof of divine mercy. Had he dealt with them 
after their desert, fire would have come down from heaven, instead of 
food ; but as the mother silences the fretful, angry child by giving it 
not the rod, but the breast, so did his gentleness indulge them. Hence, 
when they despised the manna as light food, it might have been sus- 
pended, and they might have been left to learn the worth of it by the 
want ; but day after day, year after year, it continued to attend them, 
and ceased not till the day after they had taken possession of their 
inheritance, and they had eaten of the old corn of the land. 

At length it did cease, and wisely too. What was necessary before, 

Morn. Exer. 2 



18 MORNING EXERCISES. 

became needless now ; and what want had endeared, abundance would 
have despised. This teaches us not to look for extraordinary supplies 
when relief is to be had in an ordinary way. He who sustained Israel 
is as almighty as ever ; but we must plough, and sow, and gather into 
barns. He who fed Elijah by ravens commands us to labor, working 
with our hand the thing that is good. If a man neglects the means of 
subsistence, he is not trusting providence, but tempting it, and is likely 
to be reminded, by something more than Scripture, that if any man will 
not work, neither shall he eat. Even in miraculous achievements, what 
human agency could do, was not done supernaturally. When Peter was 
in prison, the angel of the Lord opened the door, and broke off his fet- 
ters, for this Peter could not have done ; but he did not take him up 
in his arms, and carry him out, but said unto him, "Bind on thy sandals 
and follow me." Miracles were never needlessly employed. Had they 
been common, they would have ceased to be marvellous ; the exceptions 
would have become a general rule, and the whole system of nature and 
providence have been deranged. 

The manna was typical. " 7 am," said Jesus, " that bread of life." 
As the manna came down from heaven, and preserved the Israelites 
from famine, " God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten 
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have ever- 
lasting life." And the Saviour surpasses the emblem. The manna was 
for the body ; he saves the soul. The manna could not preserve from 
death always ; but they who partake of him live for ever. The manna 
was confined to one people ; he gave his flesh for the life of the world. 
He, therefore, is the true bread. 

And shall this cease ? Far from it. You shall live by him, as well 
as with him, for ever. 

Yet there will be a great difference between your present and your 
future experience. Many things now necessary will then be done away. 
Conjecture, opinion, reasoning, will give place to knowledge. Now we 
walk by faith ; then we shall walk by sight. Now we are saved by 
hope ; then hope will cease in fruition. Love will continue for ever ; 
but charity and mercy can have no object, no exercise there. We shall 
be still praising him ; but prayer and preaching, and baptism and the 
Lord's supper, will have no place. We can dispense with the channels 
when we are at the fountainhead, and with the types when we have 
the reality. We are now glad when they say unto us, " Let us go into 
the house of the Lord ;" but says John, "I saw no temple there; but 
the glory of God and of the Lamb were the light thereof." When that 
which is perfect is come, that which is in part will be done away. The 
fare of the wilderness will be superseded by the produce of Canaan. 



JANUARY 4. 19 

JANUARY 4. 

"As thy days, so shall thy strength be." Deut. 33 : 25. 

Dr. Doddridge was one day walking much depressed, his very heart 
desolate within him. " But," says he, " passing a cottage-door open, I 
happened at that moment to hear a child reading, ' As thy days, so shall 
thy strength be.' The effect on my mind was indescribable. It was 
like life from the dead." Much is often done by a word ; and many 
can say, with Watts, 

"And when my spirit takes her fill 
At some good word of thine, 
Not warriors who divide the spoil 
Have joys compared with mine.'' 

And what does this word say to us ? " As thy days, so shall thy 
strength be." There is strength bodily. The continuance of this is a 
mercy. How soon, how easily, can it be crushed or reduced, so that we 
may be made to possess months of vanity, and endure wearisome nights, 
and feel every exertion a difficulty, and every duty a burden. But 
there is strength spiritual. This is very distinguishable from the for- 
mer, and often found separate from it. The Lord does not always give 
his people a giant's arm, or an iron sinew ; but his strength is made per- 
fect in weakness. This is the strength here spoken of. For two pur- 
poses his people will find it necessary, service and suffering. 

Every Christian has a course of duty common to him as a man. It 
is, to provide for his outward wants, and the support of his family. 
And this is done by labor, in which he is required not to be slothful. 
But there is a series of duties pertaining more immediately to him in 
his religious character. It is, to believe, to pray, to deny ungodliness 
and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the 
present evil world. The discharge of his high calling is sometimes 
expressed by a race, which he is to run with patience. Sometimes also 
by the life of a soldier. A soldier must not be effeminate, but endure 
hardness and fatigue. Even his preparations and exercises are often 
trying ; how much more his actual services. And the Christian's ene- 
mies possess every thing that can render them formidable ; and so fights 
he, not as one that beateth the air. 

Suffering is commonly connected with service in the divine life. It 
was so invariably in the beginning of the gospel. Then it was deemed 
impossible for any one to live godly in Christ Jesus and not suffer per- 
secution. Therefore no sooner was Paul converted, than he was told 
how great things he had to suffer. As real religion is always the same, 
some degree of the same opposition may be always looked for ; and the 
hatred of the world will be shown as far as they have liberty to express 
it, and are not restrained by law, or the usages of civilized life. But 
when the Christian has rest from such trials as these, God can subserve 
their purpose by personal and relative afflictions, which are often severer 



20 MORNING EXERCISES. 

than even the endurings of a martyr. They are called chastenings and 
rebukes, which he is neither to despise nor faint under. They have been 
the experience of all God's children from age to age. They are not 
wantonly inflicted ; but there is a needs-be for them, of which their 
heavenly Father is the unerring judge ; and who, as far as their educa- 
tion and welfare will allow, will spare them as a man spareth his own 
son that serveth him. 

Now the prospect of all this, when he looks forward into life, is 
enough to awaken the Christian's anxiety ; and nothing can effectually 
encourage him, but the discovery of strength equal to his exigences. 
And this he finds not in himself. The natural man has no sensibility of 
his weakness, because he is not earnestly engaged in those applications 
which require spiritual power. The Christian is. He knows that he 
is as destitute of strength as he is of righteousness. He feels himself 
entirely insufficient for all the duties and trials of the divine life. And 
the consciousness, instead of diminishing, grows with the experience of 
every day. 

And he need not be afraid of this. Rather let him cherish it ; for 
when he is weak, then is he strong. What he wants is provided and 
insured by the promise of a God who cannot lie, " As thy days, so shall 
thy strength be." And " as we have heard, so have we seen, in the city 
of our God." His veracity has been attested by all his people, not one 
failing. And what says our own experience ? " Year after year I have 
been travelling in an enemy's country, and carrying with me an evil 
heart, prone to depart from the living God. I have often said, I shall 
one day perish. But where am I this morning ? Following hard after 
God, his right hand upholding me. My prayers have not been always 
lively and delightful ; but I have looked again towards his holy temple, 
and, through many a benighted hour, I have waited for the Lord, more 
than they that watch for the morning. I have had no might of my 
own, and have been often faint ; but " he giveth power to the faint, and 
to them that have no might he increaseth strength." This is my testi-. 
mony to the praise of the glory of his grace ; and at the beginning of 
another year, I thank God, and take courage : 

" Here I raise mine Ebenezer ; 
Hither, by thy help, I 'm come ; 
And I hope, by thy good pleasure, 
Safely to arrive at home." 



JANUARY 5. 

* And they cast their crowns before the throne." Rev. 4 : 10. 

Religion distinguishes and elevates. The possessors of it begin to 
rise on earth, but their dignity is perfected and displayed in heaven. 

There they are crowned. Racers were crowned. Conquerors were 
crowned. Benefactors who had saved the life of a fellow-citizen were 
crowned. Bridegrooms were crowned. Solomon's mother crowned 



JANUARY 5. 21 

him in the day of his espousals. Princes on their ascension are crowned. 
The saints on high are every one of these characters in themselves ; 
and the crown each wears is called " a crown of righteousness," " a 
crown of life," " a crown of glory that fadeth not away," a crown 
divinely superior to the prize of mortal ambition : " Now they do it to 
obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible." 

Yet, if they are thus honored, " they cast their crowns before the 
throne " they approach ; testifying by this action from whom they have 
received them, and confessing that they deem themselves unworthy to 
wear the honor — all in conformity with the peculiar design of the gos- 
pel constitution, " that no flesh should glory in his presence ; but, accord- 
ing as it is written, he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord." 

It is no easy thing to bring a man to this temper of mind. It is not 
natural to him. Naturally, he is as proud as he is poor. Therefore he 
would be wise, though, born as a wild ass's colt. Therefore, though 
poverty itself, he says, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have 
need of nothing. Therefore, though without strength, he trusts in his 
own heart ; and, though guilty before God, he goes about to establish 
his own righteousness. Therefore he is impatient under his affliction, 
as if he had a right to complain ; and unthankful under his mercies, as 
if he deserved them. 

The day of conviction is a day of self-abasement ; and in that day 
the lofty looks of man are brought low. Then he submits himself to 
God, and begins to walk humbly with him ; he admires the patience 
that has borne with him, and adores the abundant mercy that has saved 
and called him. The more he advances in the divine life, the more he 
sinks in his own estimation. " I, who am but dust and ashes." " Be- 
hold, I am vile." "Who am I, and what is my father's house?" "I 
am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies." " I am not worthy that 
thou shouldest come under my roof." The " latchet of whose shoes I 
am not worthy to stoop down and unloose." " I am not worthy to be 
.called an apostle." " I am less than the least of all saints." These 
have been the self-annihilations of men who were all great in the sight 
of the Lord ; and these must be the best proofs, as they will be the cer- 
tain effects, of our growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord 
and Saviour. 

Ignorance is the pedestal of pride ; throw down the basis, and the 
figure falls. But here our knowledge is not complete ; hereafter we 
shall see things in God's own light. Then we shall have other views 
than we now have of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, of the number and 
aggravations of our offences, of the greatness of our guilt and desert, 
of the vastness of our obligations, of the wonders of that love that pass- 
eth knowledge in every part of our salvation. Thence will result that 
fine ingenuous feeling that shrinks back, and is ready to decline a dis- 
tinguished privilege, not from dislike, or unwillingness to be under obli- 
gation, but from a sense of unworthiness. Did Peter wish to be aban- 
doned of Christ ? Yea, he placed all his happiness in his presence ; 



22 MORNING EXERCISES. 

but it was under this feeling, on the sight of the miracle, he exclaimed, 
" Depart from me ; for I am a sinful man, Lord !" 

Some would not think of such abdications were they to enter heaven 
with their present principles and dispositions ; they would rather view 
their crowns as of their own deserving, and their own procuring, and feel 
the spirit of a late emperor, who, too proud to receive his diadem from 
any other hand than his own, placed himself the crown upon his head. 
But that world is a world of humility and gratitude. All the dignita- 
ries there cast their crowns before the throne of the Saviour, in whose 
righteousness alone they are exalted, still praising him, and saying, 
" Not unto us, Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for 
thy mercy and thy truth's sake." 

Now, whatever heaven is, we must be disposed and prepared for it 
before we can enter it. Has then God wrought us for the selfsame 
thing? Has he brought down the pride of our nature, and made us 
willing to " submit ourselves unto the righteousness of God?" Are we 
saying, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who 
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ?" 
Is the leading sentiment of the blessed now living in our hearts and 
reigning in our lives : " By the grace of God I am what I am. Not 

I, BUT THE GRACE OF GOD WHICH WAS WITH ME ?" 



JANUARY 6. 

" Unite my heart to fear thy name." Psa. 86 : 11. 

The fear of God does not here mean a particular grace of the Spirit, 
but religion at large. It is common to all writers to express the whole 
of a thing by a part ; but then it ought to be an essential and a distin- 
guishing part. And " the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom ;" 
and we "perfect holiness in the fear of God." 

Religion is nothing without the heart. Yet naturally the heart is 
alienated from the life of God, and hangs off loosely and carelessly 
from all the spiritualities of his service. But it must be drawn and 
attached to divine things ; and God alone can accomplish this union. 
Without his agency, indeed, there may be an outward and professional 
union, but the ligatures of faith and love which are in Christ Jesus, 
will be wanting. To him, therefore, must we give the glory of the 
work, if it has been effected, and to him we must repair if we desire to 
experience it, encouraged by the assurance, that he will not fail to give 
the Holy Spirit to them that ask him. 

But how may I know that he has united my heart to his fear ? 
When we are attached to a thing, we love to hear of it, we think much 
of it, speak much of it, and delight to remember it. If we are cordially 
united to an individual, he shares our sympathy ; we feel his interests 
to be our own, we wSep when he weeps, and rejoice when he rejoices. 
It is the same with a man that is cordially attached to religion : he 
feels himself to be one with it ; when it is assailed, lie will endeavor to 



JANUARY 1. 23 

defend it ; when it is wounded in the house of its friends, he will feel 
the pain, the reproach of it will be his burden, he will pray for its suc- 
cess, he will exult in its prosperity. Are we cordially united to any 
one ? In the same degree we dislike absence, and dread separation. 
Thus the attached Ruth said to Naomi, " Entreat me not to leave thee, 
nor to return from following after thee : for whither thou goest I will 
go ; and where thou lodgest I will lodge ; thy people shall be my peo- 
ple, and thy God my God. Where thou diest I will die, and there will 
I be buried. 7 ' And what is the language of the soul under this divine 
influence ? " Why shouldest thou be a stranger in the land, and as a 
wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night ?" " Hide not 
thy face from me ; put not thy servant away in anger : thou hast been 
my help ; leave me not, neither forsake me, God of my salvation." 
" Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit 
from me." 

But was not David's heart united to the fear of God before? It 
was. But he who has the dawn wishes for the day. He in whom the 
good work is begun will always pray, " Perfect that which concerneth 
me." Who can say, I have attained ; I am already perfect? David, as 
a backslider, prayed, " Create in me a clean heart, God, and renew a 
right spirit within me ;" but there was no period in his life, or advance- 
ment in his religion, at which he would not have used the very same 

prayer : 

" Whoever says, ' I want no more,' 
Confesses he has none." 

The Christian, as long as he feels any reluctance to duty, any dulness 
in his work, any distractions in his worship, any law in his members 
warring against the law of his mind, any reason to sigh, " When I 
would do good evil is present with me, and how to perform that which 
is good I find not," will not cease to pray, " Unite my heart to fear thy 



JANUARY 7. 



" Salute my well-beloved Epenetus, who is the first-fruits of Achaia unto Christ." 
Rom. 16 : 5. 

Paul here remembers many, and speaks of them all with affection, 
but he salutes Epenetus as his WELL-beloved. We are not bound to love 
all in the same manner, or in the same degree. 

The apostle calls this convert, " fruits unto Christ" not unto himself. 
Yet he had been the means of bringing him to the knowledge of the 
truth. But Paul knew that he had not redeemed him, justified him, 
called him by his grace. And as to his conversion, he had only been 
the instrument, the Lord working with him, and confirming his word 
with signs following. In another place he says, " Who then is Paul, 
and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the 
Lord gave to every man?" If converted sinners are the seal and 



24 MORNING EXERCISES. 

reward and glory and joy of the preacher, they are infinitely more so 
of the Saviour himself. He sees in them his agency, his image, the 
travail of his soul, the recompense of his sufferings. As the author of 
it, he will enjoy their blessedness, and receive their praises for ever. 

Epenetus is here said to be the "first-fruits unto Christ in Achaia." 
Yet Paul says to the Corinthians, " Ye know the house of Stephanas, 
that it is the first-fruits of Achaia." The apparent difficulty is easily 
solved by the fact, that the house of Stephanas was the first family that 
was converted, but that Epenetus was the first convert in the family. 
Christians at first were few in number, and driven together by persecu- 
tion. They were therefore well known to each other and to their min- 
isters. They were marked characters. The conversion of a man to 
Christianity in a heathen place, must have been peculiarly observable. 
It was the production of " a new creature," which would of course be 
greatly wondered at. It was displaying the " heavenly " where all was 
" earthly and sensual and devilish " before. And we see it was worthy 
of attention. Earthly minds are most interested by the events of this 
life, by the policy of statesmen, the exploits of heroes, the discoveries 
of philosophers ; but what Paul noticed in Achaia, was the first man 
that was called there out of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear 
Son. He knew that the conversion of one soul far transcended in 
importance the deliverance of a whole kingdom from civil bondage. 
Kingdoms will soon be no more, but such a soul will shine a monument 
of grace and glory for ever and ever. " There is joy in the presence of 
the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." 

How long Epenetus in the place and in the family stood alone as a 
professed Christian, we know not ; but it is no uncommon thing for an 
individual to be similarly situated. We have often seen single converts 
seeking and serving Christ, as the first-fruits of the neighborhood or 
the household wherein they lived. The way in which, and the means 
by which these persons are brought forward before others, would, if 
stated, be found to be very various, and often remarkable. Hearing 
the gospel while from home, visiting in a family where the worship of 
God is maintained, meeting with a good book, receiving a letter from 
a friend, a conversation with a stranger, an affliction that made the 
heart bleed, and laid bare the prospects of life — where shall we end? 
" Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man, to bring back 
his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living." 
For though the incidents upon which this mighty event hinged seemed 
perfectly casual, they were all arranged by his own purpose and grace. 

And the circumstances in which these first converts are placed are 
interesting. They are a post of trial. Sometimes the trial is very 
severe. They have to take up their cross daily, and hourly too, and a 
cross too heavy to be borne without divine aid. Little do many who 
have been religiously brought up, and whose relations and friends, if 
not decidedly pious, are not hostile— little do they know what some 
have to endure, especially at the commencement of their religious 



JANUAKY 7. 25 

course ; when, instead of assistance and countenance, so much needed, 
they meet with neglect and opposition, and sneers and reproach, from 
all around them, and from all that are dear to them. 

They are also in a post of duty. They are required to be not only 
harmless and blameless, but most exemplary in their language, temper, 
and conduct. The reason is, that they will attract peculiar notice. 
Every thing they do will be canvassed by a shrewdness sharpened by 
enmity, and ready to magnify every failing. They will be judged by 
their profession, and their religion will be judged by them. And they 
are to put gainsayers to silence, and constrain them by their good 
works which they behold to glorify God in the day of visitation. 
They are to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things, and 
by walking in wisdom to win those that are without. They are not to 
repulse by rudeness, or chill by disdain. They are never to betray a 
feeling that says, Stand by thyself; come not near to me ; I am holier 
than thou. They are not, by stiffness and affectations in little and law- 
ful things, to lead people to suppose that their religion is made up of 
oddities and perversenesses. Yet, in things of unquestionable obliga- 
tion and real importance, they must be firm and immovable, always 
abounding in the work of the Lord ; for not only will conscience 
require this, in the testimony they are always to bear for God, but such 
consistency alone will enthrone them in the convictions and esteem of 
others. 

For they are also in a post of honor. They have a peculiar oppor- 
tunity of showing their principles. Later converts may be equally 
conscientious, but these coming after, when they have the sanction and 
cooperation of others, cannot so obviously appear to be on the Lord's 
side, nor so fully evince the purity and power of their motives, as those 
who come forward alone, and say to all others, however numerous, how- 
ever influential, however endeared, Choose you this day whom you will 
serve ; but as for me, I will serve the Lord. They have therefore the 
privilege of taking the lead, and of being examples instead of followers. 
And they may be, and are likely to be, the means of prevailing upon 
others. We have seldom seen an instance of failure. The effect has 
not always immediately appeared ; but where they have been enabled 
to walk worthy of God unto all pleasing, after a while they have no 
longer gone alone to the cross of Christ, to the throne of grace, to the 
house of God, but in company, in company even with those who once 
stood aloof, or before even opposed. And "he that converteth a sinner 
from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide 
a multitude of sins." 



26 MORNING EXERCISES. 

JANUARY 8. 

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as 
thy soul prospereth." 3 Johx 2. 

It lias been supposed from hence, that Gaius had an infirm and 
sickly constitution. This is probable, but it does not necessarily fol- 
low : for John might have wished him the continuance and increase of 
health, as well as the restoration of it. 

However this may be, we learn from his language that it is allowa- 
ble for us to pray for temporal blessings, and that, of all these bless- 
ings, health is the most valuable and necessary. 

But is outward prosperity — is even health itself the chief good that, 
''above all things," John wishes his friend to enjoy? Some therefore 
have rendered it, "I wish above all persons;" others, "I wish in all 
respects," that thou mayest prosper and be in health. But there is no 
need of criticism here. Gaius had grace already, and a high degree of 
it ; and this one thing needful being secured, it was then supremely 
desirable that he should have health to enjoy and improve it, " even as 
his soul prospered." 

John makes also his soul-prosperity the standard and rule of his 
prayer for other things. This would be a dreadful rule with regard to 
many. Such • praying, if answered, would ruin them. Yes, if they 
were to prosper in temporal things as they prosper in spiritual, they 
would become the poorest, meanest wretches on earth ; for they are 
strangers to every thing like the true riches. And if their bodies were 
to be as healthful as their souls, their dwelling would become a hos- 
pital : their bed of ease a bed of languishing : they would be blind, 
for they have no spiritual understanding ; deaf, for they never hear the 
voice of God ; dead, for the Spirit of the living God is not in them. 

Yet this seems to be the only safe rule. For unless religion keeps 
pace with our outward good, our safety and welfare will be endangered 
by it. We are not afraid when we see Christians succeeding in life, 
if at the same time they grow in grace. But the peril is when there 
is so much sail, and so little ballast. What can be more awful than to 
see those who too much mind earthly things, gaining abundantly ; to 
see those who have a relish for the pride of life, enabled to be splen- 
did ; to see those much indulged, who cannot put a knife to the throat 
of appetite ? If our plenty and dainties awaken in us no moral appre- 
hensions, and if we can feast ourselves without fear, surely our table is 
likely to become a snare ; and that which should have been for our 
welfare, to become a trap. The prosperity of fools destroys them ; and 
the prosperity of those who have not much wisdom, injures them. 

Let us therefore examine our wishes. Let us regulate them piously, 
Let us seek first the kino-dom of God and his righteousness. Let us 
ask for no more of other things than we can bear ; ever praying for 
our friends and ourselves, that we may prosper and be in health even 
as our souls prosper. 



JANUARY 9. 27 

JANUARY 9. 

"He will be our guide even unto death." Psa. 48 :14. 

This assurance comes home to our case and feelings. We are stran- 
gers and pilgrims upon earth. We resemble the Jews in the wilderness ; 
we are not in Egypt, and we are not in Canaan, but journeying from 
the one to the other. We are delivered from our natural state, but 
before we can enter glory, 

" We have this desert world to pass ; 
A dangerous and a tiresome place." 

And as the Jews were not left to themselves, but had a conductor, so 
have we : " This God is our God for ever and ever : he will be our 
guide even unto death." How perfectly, how infinitely qualified is he for 
this office. In a journey, it is unnecessary for the traveller to know 
the road, but the guide ought to know it ; and when he is well acquaint- 
ed with it, and we have full confidence in him, we shall feel satisfaction 
notwithstanding our own ignorance. Abraham went out, not knowing 
whither he went ; but he knew with whom : and Job, after expressing 
his perplexities, and the successlessness of his efforts to explore the 
dispensation he was under, relieves himself with this thought, " But he 
knoweth the way that I take." 

" Oh, who so fit to choose our lot, 
And regulate our ways," 

as He who sees the end from the beginning ; who knows all our walk- 
ing through this great wilderness ; who cannot mistake as to what is 
good or evil for us ; and who has said, " I will bring the blind by a way 
that they knew not, I will lead them in paths that they have not known ; 
I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight : 
these things will I do unto them, and not forsake them." If we had a 
wise and sure, but a sullen and silent leader, it would deduct much 
from the pleasure of the journey. But our guide indulges us with con- 
stant intercourse. He allows us to address him whenever we please, 
and in every thing by prayer and supplication to make known our 
requests ; while he condescendingly addresses us, talking with us by the 
way, and opening to us the Scriptures. He is also equal to all our 
exigences. Do we want food, refreshment, rest ? He can supply all 
our need, according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Have we 
storms? "He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in 
trouble." Are. we exposed to enemies? What David said to Abiathar, 
who had fled to him in his jeopardy, he says to us, " Abide with me ; 
for he that seeketh thy life seeketh my life ; but with me thou shalt be 
in safeguard." I should not be afraid of the sights and howlings of 
the wood, if I had a lion at my right hand every step, and could depend 
upon his fidelity. A lion is the strongest among beasts, and turneth 
not away for any. More than this is our privilege : 



28 MORNING EXERCISES, 

" A thousand savage beasts of prey 
Around the forest roam ; 
But Judah's Lion guards the way, 
And guides the traveller home." 

What human patience could bear with our manners and provoca- 
tions? What creature-conductor is there, but would throw up his 
charge long before the journey's end ? But He does not cast away his 
people. He never leaves, nor forsakes them. This is their comfort, this 
is their hope, this is their security ; the long-suffering of our God is 
salvation. " I the Lord change not ; therefore ye sons of Jacob are 
not consumed. 77 

Yes ; he will be our guide, " even unto death f that is, till the jour- 
ney is over, and all its cares cease. But is nothing more necessary ? to 
death is much, but through death seems better. When we come to the 
entrance of the gloomy passage, it is pleasing to think that he is at the 
other side, and will receive us to himself, that where he is there we may 
be also. Yet how am I to get through? "My flesh and my heart 
faileth. 77 

" Oh, if my Lord would come and meet, 

My soul would stretch her wings in haste ; 
Fly fearless through death's iron gate, 
Nor feel the terrors as she passed." 

And this case is provided for. All is insured. He will be with us 
through. " Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of 
death I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff 
they comfort me.' 7 Amen. 

JANUARY 10. 

" A devout man, and one that feared God, with all his house ; which gave much alms 
to the people, and prayed to God alway." Acts 10:2. 

We should beware of general and indiscriminate reflections upon 
communities and professions. They are injurious ; they tend to make 
and keep the parties what they are generally supposed to be. They 
are unjust, for there are always exceptions. And they are ungenerous ; 
for the more temptations men have to resist, the more evils they have 
to subdue, the more difficulties they have to struggle with, the more 
deserving and commendable is the individual that succeeds; or rather, 
the more is the grace of God glorified in him. Can there be no excel- 
lency connected with arms ? In the New Testament we meet with no 
less than four centurions, and all are spoken of with approbation: the 
centurion who came to our Lord on the behalf of his servant ; the cen- 
turion that watched at the cross ; the centurion that behaved so cour- 
teously to Paul in his voyage ; and Cornelius, here spoken of. 

He is supposed to have been a proselyte, but he was not. Yet he 
worshipped God, the knowledge of whom he probably obtained by 
residing with his men in Judea. He was a " devout man, 77 and three 
fine unions are mentioned in his character and conduct. 



JANUARY 11. 29 

A union of personal and relative duty : "He feared God, with all his 
house." This was like Joshua, who said, " As for me and my house, we 
will serve the Lord :" not my house without myself, nor myself without 
my house ; but I, and my house. If we are godly ourselves, we shall 
surely give evidence of it by instructing and admonishing and impress- 
ing those who are placed under our care. And in vain shall we use 
the means, if we counteract them by our own example. We must do, as 
well as teach. 

A union of piety and morality : he gave alms and prayed. Piety is 
more than prayer ; and morality is more than alms : yet alms and 
prayer are not only parts, but essential parts of them ; and they can 
never be separated. Some talk of their love to the gospel, and their 
communion with God, who are hard-hearted and close-handed. "But 
whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and 
shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love 
of God in him?" Others stand fair with their fellow-creatures, and 
are distinguished by liberality and kindness, yet they have no fellow- 
ship with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ ; they live without God ; 
they indulge their sensual passions, and imagine that charity covers a 
multitude of sins. " But pure religion and undefiled before God and 
the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, 
and to keep themselves unspotted from the world." 

A union of the real and eminent in religion : " He gave much alms 
to the people, and prayed to God always." There cannot be the emi- 
nence of grace without the reality ; but there may be the reality with- 
out the eminence. We should be thankful for a day of small things, 
but we ought to seek after a day of great ones. We should add to the 
essentials of religion its excellences too. We should not only have 
life, but have it more abundantly. 

As to our temporal condition, we should be content with such things 
as we have. But contentment does not become us in divine things. 
There we should be ambitious. There we should be covetous. We 
need more, and more is attainable. Let us therefore enlarge our 
desires and our hopes, and seek to be filled with all the fulness of God. 



JANUARY 11. 

" Where dwellest thou ?" John 1 : 38. 

This question was addressed to our Lord by two of John's disciples. 
One of them was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. Of the other we 
are ignorant, but they were now both following Jesus. Then Jesus 
turned, and said unto them, "What seek ye?" They said unto him, 
"Rabbi, where dwellest thou?" 

Let us consider the principle of the inquiry. It was not curiosity, 
but regard. It was as much as to say, we wish to be better acquainted. 
John had spoken of him highly, and they had just seen him ; but this, 



30 MORNING EXERCISES. 

instead of satisfying them, drew forth their desire after more intimacy. 
Now this is common to all the subjects of divine grace. 

It arises from their love to him. For love longs to be near the object 
of attachment; separation is painful; distance is intolerable; while 
intercourse yields a pleasure words can no more describe than paint 
can express light or heat. Hence the believer longs to be with the 
Saviour. " Tell me, thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, 
where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon ; for why should I be as 
one that turneth aside from the paths of thy companions ?" 

The desire arises also from the want of him. What can I do, says 
the Christian, without him? He is my deliverer, my helper, my guide, 
my comforter. The earth can do better without the sun, than I can do 
without him, the Sun of righteousness. The body does not depend so 
much upon the soul, as I do upon him, the quickening Spirit. Who can 
screen me from the condemnation of the law? Who can relieve my 
burdened conscience ? Whose grace is sufficient for me, to sanctify me 
in prosperity, to sustain me in adversity, to enliven me in death ? " Oh, 
cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from 
me." I must live in the same place, the same house, the same room 
where thou dwellest. " Where dwellest thou ?" 

But let us find, if we can, an answer to this question. " He saith unto 
them, Come and see ;" and they went, and " saw where he dwelt." In 
a general way, he had not where to lay his head. It is not probable he 
had now a house to himself, but only an apartment hired or borrowed. 
But how was that lodging sanctified and honored ! They showed Alex- 
ander, when in Holland, a house where Peter the Great resided, and 
which is preserved in memory of him. Many have seen at Olney the 
alcove where Cowper wrote his " Task." 0, to have seen a dwelling 
where Jesus resided ! But where dwells he now ? He is everywhere, 
but he is not said to dwell everywhere. Dwelling, with regard to him, 
implies preference, and abiding with delight. First, then, he dwells in 
heaven. This marks the place, yea, this makes it. H Where I am, 
there shall my servants be." " Absent from the body, and present with 
the Lord." Secondly, he dwells in his church. " This," says he, "is my 
rest for ever ; here will I dwell, for I have desired it." Thirdly, he 
dwells in the sanctuary. " In all places where I record my name, I will 
come unto thee, and I will bless thee." " Where two or three are gath- 
ered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." And there 
his people have found him, and exclaimed, " Surely God is in this place." 
Fourthly, he dwells in the heart. He will reject every other residence 
you may offer him. " My son," says he, " give me thy heart ;" and from 
every believer he obtains what he demands. Christ dwells in his 
"heart by faith." 

This may be called enthusiasm by some, but it is the language of 
inspiration. " Hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit 
which he hath given us." 

Let me forbear to injure and insult a Christian. Let'me revere and 



JANUARY 12. 31 

honor him. He is a palace of the Prince of peace. He is a temple of 
the Lord of all. 

Let me admire the condescension and kindness of Immanuel, God 
with us. If I am the subject of this residence, let me not only rejoice 
in the dignity and privilege, but be concerned to discharge every duty 
I owe to such a distinguished guest, to such a divine inhabitant. "Let 
the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable 
in thy sight, Lord, my strength and my redeemer." 



JANUARY 12. 



" And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not 
through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, 
Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt : hut 
God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea." Exod. 
13:17,18. 

There were two ways which they might have taken to their desti- 
nation. One was from the north of Egypt to the south of Canaan. 
This was short and direct, and would have required but a few days, as 
we see in the case of Jacob's sons when they fetched corn, and in the 
rapid incursion of a late military chief. The other was very much far- 
ther, and very indirect. Yet God took this, and instead of leading 
them to the isthmus of Suez, he conducted them to the border of the 
Red sea. He therefore declined the common road which the people 
would have chosen, and which every one else might have recommended, 
and selected the most unlikely. 

For his thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are his ways our 
ways. And the promise is, " I will bring the blind by a way that they 
knew not ; I will lead them in paths that they have not known. 77 It is 
well that we are under his guidance, for " the way of man is not in him- 
self ; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. 77 We know not 
what is good for us ; and like children left to themselves, we should soon 
run into mischief. "We are too ignorant, too selfish, too carnally-minded 
to choose for. ourselves safely. How was it with the Jews in the time of 
Moses ? They must have flesh, and God gave them their hearts 7 desire, 
but sent leanness into their souls. And was it not the same in the days 
of Samuel ? They would have a king, and God gave them a king in 
his anger, and took him away in his wrath. And how has it been with 
ourselves? Have we not often been imposed upon both by our hopes 
and fears? Have we not anxiously desired what we now see would 
have proved injurious? And have we not been eager to escape what 
we now know to be a blessing ? If our bones have not been broken, 
have we not been bruised by the falls occasioned by our own rashness 
and folly ? If we have not been thrown out of the vehicle, have we 
not endangered it enough to induce us to give back the reins into the 
proper hand? Surely we are not yet leaning to our own understand- 
ing, but committing our way unto the Lord. Surely we are now saying, 
The Lord " shall choose our inheritance for us. 77 



32 MORNING EXERCISES. 

It is acknowledged that the course declined " was near ;" but, God 
being the judge, the nearest way is not always the best. Jacob, in 
obtaining the blessing, went the nearest way to work in imposing upon 
his blind father ; but God's way would have been better, though it 
would have taken more time. Joseph's dreams might have been fulfilled 
by constraining his brethren to pay him immediate obeisance. But 
more than twenty years must previously elapse, and he must be sold 
into Egypt as a slave, and be imprisoned as a criminal, and be released 
as an interpreter, and possess all the store of the land as a deliverer. 
The thing was true, but the time appointed was long. Yet the Lord's 
time is the best ; and the fruit we covet will be much more rich and 
wholesome when ripe, than if seized and devoured while green. He 
that believeth, therefore, maketh not haste. " This world is a Mesech, 
and my soul is vexed with the conversation of the wicked. Why is not 
my taste gratified? And why am I not allowed to enter the region of 
purity and peace ?" Because your principles are to be tried and exem- 
plified. Because you are to serve your generation by the will of God. 
" How long have I waited for an answer to prayer, for a deliverance 
from affliction, for a sense of divine favor." And are you not told that 
" it is good for a man not only to hope, but quietly wait for the salva- 
tion of God?" and that " blessed are all they that wait for him?" The 
order of nature is not to reap as soon as the seed is sown. Weeks and 
months of varied weather, and some of them dreary and chilling, are 
introductory and preparatory to the harvest. It is the same with the 
order of grace. Be ye also patient. 

God doth all things well. If he led them the longest way, it was 
the right way. He did not choose it arbitrarily, but for reasons 
founded in his wisdom and kindness. Some of these reasons are not 
mentioned, but they were afterwards developed ; and the motive here 
assigned is well worthy of our attention. It was to keep them from 
" seeing war," especially " with the Philistines ;" into cc'ntact with 
whom they would have immediately come, the other way. At the pres- 
ent they were not fitted for serious conflict. Their spirits had been 
broken by oppression, and they partook of the timidity as well as 
meanness of slaves. They were raw recruits, shepherds, brick-makers. 
It was better for them not to fight for a while, or to have only a distant 
brush with Amalek, rather than be plunged at once into sanguinary 
contest with veteran foes inured to battle, and rendered courageous by 
victory. How instructive is this. What is the counterpart of it ? He 
knows our frame ; he remembers that we are dust. A bruised reed 
will he not break, and the smoking flax will he not quench. He gath- 
ers the lambs with his arm, and carries them in his bosom. He affords 
to young converts some peculiar encouragements to allure them on, till 
they have advanced too far to think of going back, whatever they may 
meet with. From a regard to their weakness and want of experience, 
for a time he restrains many of their enemies, and thus secures them 
from encounters with which more aged Christians are familiar. 



JANUARY 13. 33 

When will ministers and Christians learn to be followers of God ? 
Under their guidance, persons who have but just left Egypt are often 
involved in disputes even with Philistines. They have scarcely entered 
the grammar-school of repentance, before they are sent to the university 
of predestination. Babes, instead of being fed with milk, have strong 
meat given them, yea, and even bones of controversy. Their hope is 
shaken and their comfort destroyed, because they have not confidence 
and the full assurance of faith. 

But if we turn to the conduct of our Lord, we shall see that every 
thing is not to be advanced at once ; every thing is not to be exacted of 
all, and in all circumstances. Hear him : " I have yet many things to 
say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." " They said unto him, 
"Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and like- 
wise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?" And 
he said unto them, "Can ye make the children of the bridechamber 
fast while the bridegroom is with them ? But the days will come when 
the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast 
in those days. And he spake also a parable unto them : No man put- 
teth a piece of a new garment upon an old : if otherwise, then both the 
new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new 
agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bot- 
tles, else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the 
bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles, and 
both are preserved." 



. JANUARY 13. 
"The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance." Rom. 2 :4. 

Repentance is indispensable to fallen creatures. And though it be 
from God, as well as the blessings annexed to it, yet there is an order 
in his operations. He must do some things for us, before he can do 
others. He must give grace before he can give glory ; and before he 
makes us happy with himself, he must make us holy like himself. 
Hence we read of " repentance unto life." 

But let us observe the manner of his producing this repentance. 
We are led to it by his goodness — not driven by the terrors of the 
Almighty. Cain, Pharaoh, Judas, were all terrified into repentance ; 
and there was nothing in their experience ingenuous or saving. Peter 
was led to repentance. He had sadly sinned, and denied his Lord with 
oaths and cursings. But the Lord turned and looked upon Peter, and 
the look broke his heart, and " he went out and wept bitterly." And 
says God, " Thou shalt remember, and be confounded, and never open 
thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified towards 
thee for all that thou hast done." 

In the gospel he draws with the cords of a man, and with the bands 
of love. And the repentance here spoken of, is the tender mother pull- 
ing her infant to her knee while chiding him, and constraining the little 

Morn. Exer. 3 



U MORNING EXERCISES. 

offender to hide his blushing face, and to sob out his heart into her 
bosom ; not the stern father driving the transgressor from his face into 
distance and concealment and dislike and falsehood. Or, if it be the 
father, it is the father of the prodigal. Impatient of paternal restraint, 
the prodigal asked for his portion of goods, and went away into a very 
far country. Soon all he had was spent; and there arose a mighty 
famine in the land, and he began to be in want ; and he went and hired 
himself to keep swine. And oft he looked at his grovelling charge, 
and said, " Oh that I was one of you, and could eat and die and be no 
more." He even fed upon their vile fare, for no man gave unto him. 
At length he came to himself, and the thought of home struck him: 
" There is bread enough in my father's house, and to spare, and I perish 
with hunger. I will arise and go unto my father." While he was yet 
a great way off, hovering about and afraid to draw nigh, his father saw 
him, and had compassion on him, and ran and fell on his neck, and 
kissed him. He had prepared a confession, acknowledging the vilest 
guilt ; and a petition, imploring the meanest favor ; but forgiving, over- 
flowing love prevented the expression of either. " Bring forth the best 
robe, and put it on him ; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his 
feet ; and bring forth the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be 
merry ; for this my son was dead, and is alive again ; he was lost, and 
is found." 

He felt his unworthiness before, but he was a thousand times more 
penitent now. "What a father have I sinned against! What excel- 
lence have I contemned ! What love have I abused 1" How would he 
blush and weep, as he was not only clothed, but adorned ; and not only 
fed, but feasted. How, as the ring touched his finger, and he was con- 
ducted into the room of mirth, prepared for him — how, almost sinking 
under the weight of obligation, would he be ready to say, " How can I 
bear all this ?" And would not the father be more endeared to him 
by forgiveness, than by relation? And after all this, would he be able 
to stab this father to the heart ; to offend him ; to grieve him? Must 
he not delight to obey him ; and every moment ask, What wilt thou 
have me to do ? t 

Despair hardens, but we are saved by hope. Threatenings may 
make us afraid to go on, but goodness makes us unwilling. Terrors 
may wrest the weapons of rebellion out of our hand, but goodness 
induces us to hate them, and throw them down, and weep over them, and 
return and vow, " Lord, other lords besides thee have had dominion 
over us ; henceforth by thee only will we make mention of thy name." 

How mistaken then are many with regard to Christian repentance. 
It is not legal, but evangelical. It is not slavish, but filial. It is not 
degrading, but connected with the noblest feelings of the heart. It is 
not desponding and miserable, but lives in the comforts of the Holy 
Ghost. And " blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." 



JANUARY 14 35 



JANUARY 14, 



"And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a 
feast unto all his servants : and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief 
baker among his servants." Gen. 40 : 20. 

If the chief butler had been falsely, and the chief baker had been 
justly accused, the providence of God was now seen in the clearing of 
the one, and the punishment of the other. If both were either equally 
innocent or guilty, here was an instance of the arbitrariness of a prince 
who probably prided himself in his absolute authority, and in having it 
said, " Whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive." 
Or perhaps he designed to show his subjects that he would be known 
both in the exercise of mercy and judgment. And hence the season 
was his birthday. 

The birthday of princes has been anciently and generally solemnized 
as a token of the respect due to their sovereignty ; but it has often been 
abused, and given rise to wickedness and mischief. We see this in the 
case of Jeroboam. At the commemoration of his birth intemperance 
rioted, and the intoxication of the king himself injured his health, and 
made him forget his dignity in his joining familiarly with low buffoons 
and jesters : " In the day of our king, the princes have made him sick 
with bottles of wine ; he stretched out his hand with scorners.''" And 
how was it, on a similar occasion, with Herod ? " Herod on his birth- 
day made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates in Gal- 
ilee ;" the daughter of Herodias danced — the king was excited — and 
John was beheaded 1 

But in almost every rank of life the usage prevails of persons ob- 
serving with some degree of festivity the day of their birth. The thing 
is lawful in itself, if it be used lawfully. It may be used profitably. 
But our pious forefathers made it, if a day of relative intercourse and 
congratulation, yet a day also of pious feeling and regard. And surely 
it should be made 

A day of thanksgiving to the Author and Giver of life, for our being — ■ 
for the rank we occupy in the scale of creation — for the country and 
family in which we were brought forth — for our civil and religious ad- 
vantages — and for our preservation through so many perils, and when 
so many have been cut off. 

A day of humiliation, that we were shapen in iniquity, and in sin 
did our mother conceive us — that we went astray from the womb — that 
our transgressions are innumerable, and our trespass is gone up into the 
very heavens — and that we have not improved, as we ought to have 
done, any of our privileges : " I do remember my faults this day." 

A day of reflection, that as there is a time to be born, so there is 
a time to die — that so much of life is already passed away as a shadow, 
that when a few years are come, we shall go the way whence we shall 
not return — that our continuance here is as uncertain as it is short — 



36 MORNING EXERCISES. 

that we may never see this day again ; and if we do not, where shall we 
be when it returns ? 

A day of prayer, that we may so number our days as to apply our 
hearts unto wisdom — that we may obtain pardoning mercy and renew- 
ing grace — that we may be prepared for all the duties and trials that 
lie before us — that whether we live, we may live unto the Lord ; or 
whether we die, we may die unto the Lord ; so that, living and dying, 
we may be the Lord's. 

Happy they who, without complaining of their lot, or being impa- 
tient to be gone, yet know the day of their death is better than the day 
of their birth. Though for them to live is Christ, to die is gain. 
Every returning birthday tells them, " So much nearer your heavenly 
home." 

But how dreadful the state of those who know — and, if they consider, 
they must know — that every year advances them so much away from 
all they love, and brings them so much nearer a world in which, as they 
have no hope, so after which they can have no desire. If conscience be 
not stupefied, and all thought banished by company and gayety, a birth- 
day to them is far from enviable. Yerses may be written, addresses 
may be received, smiles may be put on, but even in laughter the heart 
is sorrowful, and the end of that mirth is heaviness. 

"What a difference in the two following references to the birth of the 
individuals : 

" Who," says Yoltaire, • ■ can, without horror, consider the whole 
world as the empire of destruction? It abounds with wonders ; it also 
abounds with victims. It is a vast field of carnage and contagion. 
Every species is without pity pursued and torn to pieces through the 
earth and air and water. In man there is more wretchedness than in 
all the other animals put together. He loves life, and yet he knows 
that he must die. If he enjoys a transient good, he suffers various 
evils, and is at last devoured by worms. This knowledge is his fatal 
prerogative ; other animals have it not. He spends the transient mo- 
ments of his existence in diffusing the miseries which he suffers : in 
cutting the throats of his fellow-creatures for pay ; in cheating and 
being cheated ; in robbing and being robbed ; in serving, that he might 
command, and in repenting of all he does. The bulk of mankind are 
nothing more than a crowd of wretches equally criminal and unfortu- 
nate ; and the globe contains rather carcasses than men. I tremble, at 
the review of this dreadful picture, to find that it contains a complaint 
against providence itself, and I wish I had never been born." 

Now let us hear the language of the excellent Hallyburton, who 
died as he lived, full of confidence in God. " I shall shortly get a very 
different sight of God from what I have ever had, and shall be made 
meet to praise him for ever and ever. Oh, the thoughts of an incarnate 
Deity are sweet and ravishing. Oh, how I wonder at myself that I do 
not love him more, and that I do not admire him more. What a won- 
der that I enjoy such composure under all my bodily pains, and in the 



JANUARY 15. 37 

view of death itself. What a mercy that, having the use of my reason, 
I can declare his goodness to my soul. I long for his salvation ; I bless 
his name I have found him, and die rejoicing in him. Oh, blessed be 
God that I was born ! Oh, that I was where he is. I have a father 
and mother, and ten brothers and sisters in heaven, and I shall be the 
eleventh. Oh, there is a telling in this providence, and I shall be tell- 
ing it for ever. If there be such a glory in his conduct towards me 
now, what will it be to see the Lamb in the midst of the throne! 
Blessed be God that ever I was born." 



JANUARY 15. 

"Unto thee, Lord, do I lift up my soul." Psa. 25 : 1. 

It is not easy to do this. "We are naturally sluggish and grovelling. 
Who has not reason to acknowledge, with shame and sorrow, " My soul 
cleaveth unto the dust?" It is easy enough, in duty, to lift up our 
hands and our eyes and our voices ; but it is another thing to come 
even to his seat, to enter into the secret of his tabernacle, and to hold 
intercourse with the God of heaven. And yet, without this, what is 
devotion? And how unanswerable will all our services be to the 
requisition of him who is a Spirit, and seeketh such to worship him as 
worship him in spirit and in truth ! 

And without this a real Christian is no more satisfied than God. 
He will not, indeed, from a principle of duty, undervalue the means of 
grace, and neglect private and public devotion ; but he is disappointed 
unless he can lift up his soul unto God in them. 

And this marks the spiritual worshipper. He is not distinguished 
by always enjoying liberty and fervor in his holy exercises, but he 
mourns the want of them ; while the formalist looks no farther than 
the performance itself, and returns from the house and throne of God 
without ever inquiring whether he has had communion with him. 

It is the spirituality of religion that befriends enjoyment. Nothing 
yields us pleasure but in proportion as the heart is engaged in the pur- 
suit. How dull and how tiresome are those tasks, in which 

" In vain to heaven we raise our cries, 
And leave our souls behind." 

But it is good to draw near to God. Then there is a sacred charm that 
keeps our thoughts from wandering. Then we attend on the Lord 
without distraction. Then we feel no weariness of spirit. We call 
the Sabbath a delight. We find his words, and eat them. And our 
meditation of him is sweet. 

And when such a worshipper comes forth, he will be ready to say 
to all he meets, " That which we have seen and heard declare we unto 
you, that ye also may have fellowship with us : and truly our fellowship 
is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." And his recom- 
mendations are likely to have some effect. For his profiting will 



38 MORNING EXERCISES. 

appear unto all men. His face slimes. His heart speaks. His life 
speaks. His character speaks. He must be impressive and influential. 
He will be felt— in the family, in the church, and in the world. He 
cannot but do good, even without pretension, without effort : 

" "When such a man, familiar with the skies, 
Has filled his urn where those pure waters rise, 
And once more mingles with us meaner things, 
'T is e'en as if an angel shook his wings : 
Immortal fragrance fills the circuit wide, 
Which tells us whence his treasures are supplied." 



JANUARY 16. 

" I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, 
and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jek. 29 : 11. 

"What can the people of God desire more? They are here as- 
sured by himself, that he thinks of them— that he knows his thoughts 
towards them — that they are kind in their nature — thoughts of peace, 
and not of evil — and that they regard an end allowing and requiring 
expectation — to bring them to an expected end. 

He designed and procured the Jews good in Babylon ; but the ran- 
somed of the Lord were to return and come to Zion. " After seventy 
years be accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my 
good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place." Here 
we see what was their expected end. And what did it prefigure, but 
"the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls" — "the end, ever- 
lasting life?" The Christian is now on the sea, encountering many a 
wind, and feeling many a fear ; but the voyage will end, and he will 
be brought into the desired haven. He is now on a journey, and he is 
often discouraged because of the way ; but it will end in a better coun- 
try, and at his Father's house. He is now in a warfare, and though it 
be a good one, it is trying and painful ; but the strife will soon end, 
and the head exchange the helmet for the " crown of glory that fadeth 
not away." 

But what characterizes the posture of the believer's mind with regard 
to this end ? Expectation. He is looking for that blessed hope. He 
is waiting for the Saviour from heaven. For he is now saved by hope. 
Every thing now leads him forward. Creatures, ordinances, his con- 
nections, his experience, every thing in his painful, every thing in his 
pleasing feelings — all, all says, " Arise, and depart hence, for this is not 
your rest." Human expectation is seldom justified by the event. If 
the votary do not miss his aim, he is disappointed in his object, and his 
heart sighs in the midst of his success. But let the Christian's expec- 
tation be as great as even the Scripture can make it, the blessedness 
itself will be much greater, and the fruition will induce the acknow- 
ledgment, " The half was not told me." 

Yet the expectation is very distinguishable from the confidence of 
the presumptuous. Natural men find it a very easy thing to hope, be- 



JANUARY 16. 39 

cause they hope without any proper sense of their unworthiness and 
guilt ; they hope without examination, without evidence ; they hope 
uninformed and unauthorized. It is one of the first works of the Spirit 
of God to break up this state of mind ; and then the man can say, with 
Paul, "I was alive without the law once ; but when the commandment 
came, sin revived, and I died." Yet, while he for ever shuts this door 
of hope, he opens another ; he turns him from the law to the gospel, 
from self to the Saviour, from going about to establish his own right- 
eousness, to embrace the righteousness which is of God. Hence arises 
what the apostle calls "a good hope through grace;' 1 and the goodness 
consists not so much in the strength of the confidence, as in the solidity 
of the foundation, and the clearness and fulness of the warrant. 

Our Lord speaks of two builders : the one he calls a fool, the other 
a wise man. But the difference between them was not so much in the 
edifices themselves, as in the groundwork. Both structures looked fair 
enough to the passenger ; but the house of the former was built upon 
the sand, and the storm carried it away ; while that of the latter stood 
every assault, for it was founded on a rock. What a sandy base has 
the hope of many ! How certainly and easily will it be overthrown — 
the expectation of the sinner, the worldling, the hypocrite, and the 
Pharisee ! But the Christian's hope maketh not ashamed ; it rests on 
the foundation laid in Zion, and the possessor cannot be confounded, 
unless God can become a liar, and be chargeable with perjury ; for he 
has not only promised, but sworn, and, " because he could swear by no 
greater, he sware by himself." 

Keep much alive this expectation. Let nothing shake its confidence. 
Let nothing obscure the object, or the ground of it. It can do won- 
ders, and will produce a thousand advantages in proportion as it is 
realized. 

I repair to the believer who is fully exemplifying it, and I find him 
dead to the world, and "all that earth calls good and great." And 
what is the cause? "An expected end." He has looked within the 
veil, and seen the glory that excelleth. The sun has rendered invisible 
the glowworms, and the stars too. 

I find him satisfied with an inferior condition in life, and though 
denied many indulgences with which the children of this generation 
abound. And what is the reason? " An expected end." They are at 
home, says he ; but I am not. I am a stranger and a pilgrim. I am at 
an inn ; it yields me but few entertainments, or even accommodations — 
so much the better. It might otherwise tempt and detain me. It now 
urges me on. 

And what makes him so cheerful in his trials? "An expected end." 
This hope, says he, I have as an. anchor of the soul, both sure and stead- 
fast ; and " I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not wor- 
thy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed." This 
expected end, also, says he, animates me in all the difficulties attending 
a course of obedience. If hope actuates to such exertions, hardships, 



40 MORNING EXERCISES. 

and sacrifices, the sons of learning, fame, and wealth ; should I ever be 
cold or discouraged, with the certainty before me of an eternity, an 
infinity of all good ? This too, says he, composes me in the prospect, 
and reconciles me to the approach of death. In itself it is far from 
being pleasant ; but it is the right way to a city of habitation, a depar- 
ture to be with Christ, which is far better. He also can make the exit 
as gentle as the issue is glorious. However this may be, 

" 'T is there for ever I shall dwell, 

With Jesus in the realms of day ; 

When I shall bid these fears farewell, 

And he will wipe my tears away. 

Jesus, on thee our hope depends, 

To lead us on to thine abode ; 
Assured our home will make amends 

For all our toil upon the road." 



JANUARY 17. 

"The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ." Gal. 3 : 24. 

What law ? Three kinds of law were given to the Jews. It is not 
necessary to exclude either, though the last is principally intended. 

The judicial. This regarded their policy as a nation, regulated 
their conduct towards each other, and determined their civil crimes 
and penalties. Even this led to Christ, especially the right of redemp- 
tion, which lay with the nearest of kin. So did also the provision of 
the cities of refuge, and happy they who have fled for shelter and relief 
to Him that was prefigured by them. 

The ceremonial. This prescribed their worship, and enjoined a mul- 
titude of services and sacrifices which were all. shadows of good things 
to come, but the body was Christ. It would be endless to particularize. 
The tabernacle, the mercy-seat, the altar, the table of show-bread, the 
paschal lamb — all these led to him, and derived their importance from 
the relation. And hence those who deny their typical use have always 
spoken depreciatingly of them. The Jews were in the infancy of the 
church, and these ceremonies were like pictures placed over the child's 
lessons ; or the whole economy may be considered as a star to the trav- 
ellers in search of the Consolation of Israel, going before them till it 
stood over where the young child was, and then disappearing. 

The moral. This was of universal and perpetual obligation, being 
founded not on any positive appointment or authority, but in the nature 
of man, and the relations subsisting between him and God, and between 
him and his fellow-creatures. The substance of it is, to love God su- 
premely, and our neighbor as ourselves. Is this unreasonable ? Can 
God himself dispense with it? Can he require less? 

Now this leads us to Christ, first, by convincing us of sin ; for by 
the law is the knowledge of sin. It is owing to men's ignorance of 
this law that they think so well of themselves. Did they know that it 



JANUARY 18. 41 

ranks all omissions of duty in the number of sins ; that it extends to 
the state of the heart as well as of the life, and to our motives and 
principles as well as our actions; self-abased and despairing, they 
would be constrained to cry out, " Enter not into judgment with thy 
servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified." 

Secondly, by showing us our danger. This results from transgres- 
sion ; for the curse enters with all sin : " Cursed is every one that con- 
tinueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them." 
If you were in a room where there was a dead lion, you would not be 
afraid. But if, while you were walking by, he should come to life, and 
rise upon his feet, and glare his eyeballs, and begin to roar, as he re- 
vived, you would die with fear. So it was with Paul. " I was alive," 
says he, " without the law ; but when the commandment came, sin re- 
vived, and I died." 

Thirdly, by gendering despair of life by it. Here again the apostle 
tells us, that his death to the law was also by it. "I through the law 
am dead unto the law, that I might live unto God." Thus the extrem- 
ity of the danger makes us call out for a deliverer. Famine lectured 
back the prodigal to his father's house. Disease drives the patient to 
apply to a physician, which he would otherwise neglect, and to submit 
to a remedy which he would otherwise reject. "The law is our school- 
master to bring us unto Christ." 

The law, therefore, is good if it be used lawfully ; and ministers 
ought to preach it. Some pass under a greater law work than others ; 
but let none question the genuineness of the relief they have obtained 
from Christ, because they have not experienced much terror and dis- 
tress. This terror and distress are but in the order of means, and the 
design of them is answered if we are brought to Christ, and acquiesce 
in his salvation. 

Every one, therefore, that hath heard and learned of the Father, 
cometh unto him, and can find encouragement nowhere else. And 
" him that cometh unto me," says the Saviour, " I will in no wise cast 
out." 



JANUARY 18. 



" I had not thought to see thy face : and lo, God hath showed me also thy seed." 
Gen. 48:11. 

This was the language of the dying Jacob, when Joseph presented 
to him his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim. 

"We behold in it his piety. He owns God in his indulgences — He has 
shown me. Our comforts are sanctified, and rendered doubly sweet 
when we receive them all from his hand. Let others live without God 
with them in the world ; I would acknowledge him in all my ways. 
Let them ascribe their successes and enjoyments to chance, or to the 
power of their friends, or to their own diligence and skill; I would 
give him the glory that is due only to his name. I would remember 



42 MORNING EXERCISES. 

that, whatever be the medium of my comfort, he is the source ; that, 
whatever be the instrument, he is the author: "The blessing of the 
Lord it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." 

Observe also his surprise : his expectation was more than exceeded. 
We remember the sad relation of the loss of Joseph, and the garment 
dipped in blood, by which his grief was deluded, though not relieved. 
"He knew it, and said, It is my son's coat ; an evil beast hath devoured 
him ; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. And Jacob rent his 
clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many 
days. And all his sons, and all his daughters, rose up to comfort him ; 
but he refused to be comforted ; and he said, For I will go down into 
the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him." For 
many years he never dreamed of his survival; but added, "Joseph is 
not, and Simeon is not, and will ye take Benjamin away ? all these 
things are against me." In process of time, however, all this gloomy 
conclusion was contradicted. "They told him, saying, Joseph is yet 
alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's 
heart fainted, for he believed them not. And they told him all the 
words of Joseph, which he had said unto them : and when he saw the 
wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their 
father revived : and Israel said, It is enough ; Joseph my son is yet 
alive : I will go and see him before I die." By and by this was ful- 
filled. "And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet 
Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him ; and he 
fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. And Israel said 
unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou 
art yet alive." 

Something, however, was still wanting. Joseph had sons, and these 
would be peculiarly endeared to Jacob. At length he embraces them, 
as well as the father : " I had not thought to see thy face : and lo, God 
hath showed me also thy seed.'' 

Is this the only instance in which God has not only frustrated the 
fears, but surpassed the hopes of his people ? When Moses was in the 
ark of bulrushes, all his parents could have hoped for would have been 
his preservation, or falling into the hands of some kind individual, who, 
affected with his infancy and suffering, would have taken care of him, 
though they should never have seen him more. But Pharaoh's daughter 
finds him, and adopts him, and his mother becomes his nurse, and he is 
educated in all the learning of Egypt, and he appears the deliverer and 
leader of Israel ! " David said, I shall one day perish by the hand of 
Saul :" but, after a number of hairbreadth escapes, he was saved from 
all his enemies, and sat down upon the throne, " a wonder unto many." 

What numbers are there in whose experience this remark has been 
exemplified as to temporal things. They once had no inheritance, no, 
not so much as to set their foot on : all they hoped to gain by their 
humble efforts was, only bread to eat and raiment to put on ; and lo, 
he has given them not only subsistence, but competency and affluence. 



JANUARY 19. 43 

And as to spiritual things, the penitent remembers how, when awakened 
out of his sleep, and he gazed on the horrors of his state, there seemed 
nothing left but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery 
indignation. How hard did he find it to hope even for deliverance. 
But the Lord appeared to his joy, and not only spared and pardoned 
him, but enriched and ennobled him ; and took him not only into his 
service, but into his house and into his bosom. 

But in nothing has this observation been more frequently verified 
than in the last experience of believers. They had all their lifetime 
been subject to bondage through fear of death ; a thousand comforts 
had been imbittered by the apprehension. This did not affect their 
safety then ; but when their departure was at hand, they were filled 
with peace and joy, and had an abundant entrance ministered unto 
them into the Saviour's everlasting kingdom. Some, who had trembled 
at the shaking of a leaf before, have then displayed a courage amount- 
ing to more than heroism ; and those who had shrunk back from speak- 
ing, especially concerning themselves, have shouted aloud upon their 
beds and sung of his righteousness. " Ah," says Dr. Goodwin, " is this 
dying ? How have I dreaded as an enemy this smiling friend !" To 
die is gain. 

When the queen of Sheba, though accustomed to royal magnificence, 
witnessed the glory of Solomon, she exclaimed, The half was not told 
me. So the believer, after all the reports of the Scripture, all the ear- 
nests and foretastes of heaven, finds it to be a glory yet to be revealed ; 
and when he arrives at the possession, he will acknowledge that eye 
had not seen, nor ear heard, nor had entered into the heart of man, the 
things which God has prepared for them that love him. 

Let all this scatter our doubts, and lead us to say, " Why art thou 
cast down, my soul ? and why art thou disquieted within me ? Hope 
thou in God : for I shall yet praise him." Especially let us view, 
through the force of this truth, all our future duties and difficulties. 
We are not to limit the Holy One of Israel. What is impossible to us 
is easy to him. His thoughts and ways are as far above ours, as the 
heavens are higher than the earth ; and " he is able to do for us exceed- 
ing abundantly above all we can ask or think." We have read of an 
emperor who said he delighted to undertake enterprises deemed by his 
counsellors and captains impracticable ; and he seldom failed in them. 
God cannot fail. But he loves to surprise. He turneth the shadow of 
death into the morning. " At eventide," says he, " it shall be light." 



JANUARY 19. 

" And Noah walked with God." Gen. 6 : 9. 
The apostle gives us a fine representation of religion when, speak- 
ing of God, he says, "With whom we have to do." We have to do with 
our fellow-creatures in various relations ; but morality must be sup- 
ported by piety, and flow from it. It is with God we have principallv 



U MORNING EXERCISES. 

to do. Our connections with him, our expectations from him, our obli- 
gations to him, are all supreme. 

Three expressions are observable as to our walking with regard to 
God: 

First, we read of "walking after the Lord." This supposes him to 
be our leader and example, and requires us to be followers of him as 
dear children. " They shall walk after the Lord," says Hosea. 

Secondly, we read of walking before God. This supposes him to be 
our observer and witness ; we are thus always in his sight. " Walk 
before me," said God to Abraham. "I will walk before the Lord," 
says David, " in the land of the living." 

We also read of "walking with God." So did Noah. So did 
Enoch. So does every partaker of divine grace. This seems to hold 
him forth as our companion and friend. This may seem surprising, but 
so it is. There is an intercourse between us ; we have fellowship one 
with another. In order to this, reconciliation is necessary ; for " how 
can two walk together, except they be agreed?" And this reconcilia- 
tion must be mutual. It is not enough that God is reconciled to us 
through the blood of the Cross ; we must be also reconciled to God, 
and love his presence, and choose his way. 

For walking with God implies a oneness of course, and supposes 
that we advance together towards the same end. God's aim is his own 
glory ; and we are enjoined, " whether we eat or drink, or whatever we 
do, to do all to the glory of God." As far as we observe this rule, we 
walk with God ; as far as we neglect it, we leave God, and go in an- 
other direction. 

If we are familiar and conversant with any one, we unavoidably 
catch something of his spirit and his manners. Hence it is said, " He 
that walketh with wise men shall be wise ; but a companion of fools 
shall be destroyed." If I walk with God, I shall resemble him, and 
all will take knowledge of me that I have been with Jesus. 

How envied would the man be that was allowed to walk with the 
king. But I walk with the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 
" Such honor have all his saints." What security have I in nearness 
to him ! " He is at my right hand : I shall not be moved." What can 
I want if I have him ? " My presence shall go with thee ; and I will 
give thee rest." 



JANUARY 20. 



"And praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily 
shape like a dove upon him." Luke 3 : 21, 22. 

We may consider this descent three ways : as an answer to prayer, 
as a miraculous testimony, and as a significant emblem. 

He had just been baptized, and was now going to enter on his public 
office ; and we are told he prayed. Whether he prayed vocally or only 
mentally, we know not ; but he prayed really. And if prayer was nee- 



JANUARY 20. 45 

essary for him, can it be needless for us ? And he prayed exemplarily, 
and has taught us, like himself, to pray after we have been engaged in 
any ordinance, and before we enter on any undertaking. Nor did he 
pray in vain. Indeed, the Father heard him always, because he always 
prayed according to the will of God. And how prompt was the an- 
swer. It reached him in the very act of devotion : " And praying, the 
heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape 
like a dove upon him." It was the same in the transfiguration : "As he 
prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was 
white and glistering." The prayer of faith is always immediately 
heard, and if it be not always immediately answered, it is not from a 
want of disposition in God to bless us, but because he is a God of judg- 
ment, and waits to be gracious. But if we consult the Scripture, and 
appeal to our own experience, and especially observe not only the ben- 
efit we have derived from prayer, but in it, we shall know that he is a 
God at hand and not afar off, and verify the truth of his own word : " It 
shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer ; and while they 
are yet speaking, I will hear." 

It is to be viewed also as a miracle ; and so it was an authentica- 
tion of his divine mission. Hence the voice that accompanied it, " Thou 
art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Hence John was 
previously informed of this confirmation. For, though his relation, yet, 
to preclude all thought of collusion and management, John had not seen 
Jesus before this event ; but was taught, when they met, to recognize 
him by it : " John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from 
heaven like a dove, arid it abode upon him. And I knew him not : but 
he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon 
whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the 
same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." John, therefore, 
could not but be instantly and perfectly convinced. " And I saw," says 
he, " and bare record, that this is the Son of God." Nothing, therefore, 
could have been more unsuspicious and decisive. The sign was fore- 
told ; its brilliancy, form, and descent, were obvious to sense — it re- 
mained on him for a considerable time — and all was in the presence of 
a multitude of spectators. How different are the miracles of the gos- 
pel from the prodigies of heathenism, and the lying wonders of the 
church of Rome ! 

In whatever visible form the Holy Ghost had alighted upon the 
Saviour's head, the miracle would have been the same. But the symbol 
would not have been the same. His descending in " a bodily shape like 
a dove" was intended to be an emblem. First, an emblem of the dis- 
pensation he had to announce. The law is called a fiery law ; and it 
worketh wrath to every transgressor. The nature of it was intimated 
even in the very manner of its promulgation. The mount shook and 
burned with fire. There were blackness and darkness and tempest, 
and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words. The people could 
not endure that which was commanded. And so terrible was the sight, 



46 MORNING EXERCISES. 

that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. But grace and truth 
came by Jesus Christ. And how? The moment he is inaugurated, 
and is stepping forth to preach the kingdom of heaven, the heaven 
opens, not for the thunder to roll and the lightnings to flash, but for 
the Holy Ghost to descend in a bodily shape like a dove upon him ! 

Did the dove return into the ark with an olive-branch, thereby an- 
nouncing that the flood had subsided ? And has he, with a leaf in his 
mouth, ever since been viewed as the image of a messenger of peace ? 
Who came and attested deliverance from the wrath to come? Who 
came and preached peace to them that were afar off, and to them that 
were nigh ? What says the church ? " Rise up, my love, my fair one, 
and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over, and gone ; 
the flowers appear on the earth ; the time of the singing of birds is 
come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." But who was 
the harbinger of another spring, of a nobler renovation ? Who cries, 
" Come, for all things are now ready?" 

Secondly, an emblem of his personal character. All the love, ten- 
derness, gentleness, mildness, for which the dove seems always to have 
been considered as a kind of representative, were to be found in him. 
So the prophecies going before had described him. And if we observe 
his miracles, if we enter into his life, his whole life on earth, we shall 
see him going about doing good. How kind to friends ! How merciful 
to the distressed ! How gracious to the guilty ! How ready to forgive ! 
How patient under provocation ! He was compassion alive and em- 
bodied. 

Thirdly, an emblem of the temper of his disciples For there must 
be a conformity between him and them. In all things he has the pre- 
eminence ; but if any man has not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 
He that is joined to the Lord is of one spirit ; and how did the Holy 
Ghost descend upon him? As a dove. 

Estimate, therefore, your religion by your resemblance of this image. 
Do not judge of your having the Spirit by opinions, but principles ; by 
impressions, but dispositions ; by gifts, but grace. Some fear they are 
strangers to the Spirit, because they have not received it in a particular 
way, that is, after great terror and anguish of soul. This is indeed 
sometimes the case, but it is not always so. In this manner the jailer's 
religion commenced ; but it was not thus with Cornelius, nor with 
Lydia. 

Whatever distress or horror of conviction we have felt, they are 
nothing if they have not brought us to Christ ; and if we have been 
brought, let us be thankful, and rejoice, "if by any means." The best 
thing is, to judge, not by the manner of the operation, but the influence 
itself, and its effects, or by the fruit of the Spirit ; and " the fruit of 
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." "And as many 
as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon 
the Israel of God." 



JANUARY 21. 47 

JANUARY 21. 

" The Lord said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land 
which I have given unto the children of Israel. And when thou hast seen it, thou also 
shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered." Num. 27:12, 13. 

Reflections on death can never be unseasonable while we are in a 
dying world and a dying church, and are conscious that we ourselves 
are dying creatures. 

It is said, God sees no iniquity in his people. But he has threat- 
ened to visit their transgressions with a rod. Some tell us that sin 
never hurts a believer. But it injured David. It degraded Eli. Moses 
was also severely chastised. He was very dear to God, and could plead 
great provocation ; but because he rebelled against his commandment 
in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, he was excluded 
the land of Canaan ; and though he was very importunate, he could not 
obtain a repeal of the trying sentence. Yet in judgment God remem- 
bers mercy. He here orders him to die. But the order is attended 
with three softenings to reconcile him to it. 

First, he must die, but he shall previously go up and "see the land, 
which the Lord hath given to the children of Israel." Some might 
suppose that this would tantalize him, and add to his affliction at the 
loss. But it was designed as an alleviation, and it was accepted by 
Moses as a favor. For this purpose his natural sight continued unin- 
jured, and his extent of vision was perhaps also enlarged. Thus, not 
only was his curiosity gratified, but he saw, with gladness and praise, 
the goodness and truth of God's promise to his people. He also, in 
type, saw and hailed the prospect of a better country, even a heavenly, 
and which he was going to enter. " Oh," say many, apprehensive now 
of the solemn event, 

" Oh, could we make our doubts remove, 
These gloomy doubts that rise, 
And view the Canaan that we love 
With unbeclouded eyes — 

Could we but climb where Moses stood, 

And view the landscape o'er, 
Not Jordan's stream, nor death's cold flood, 

Should fright us from the shore." 

And they are generally indulged. And often those have been pecul- 
iarly favored, who all their lifetime have been subject to bondage 
through fear of death. 

Secondly, he must die, but this will be " a gathering unto his peo- 
ple." To Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob and Joseph, and the Israel 
of God. These he so prized on earth, that he chose rather to suffer 
affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for 
a season. Some had departed that he had known, and numbers that he 
had not known ; but he was to join them— not in the same grave, for he 
was buried alone, and no one knows of his sepulchre unto this day — 
but in heaven ; not as to his body, but as to his soul, which was to be 



48 MORNING EXERCISES. 

united with the spirits of just men made perfect. The believer expects 
a family meeting. 

Thirdly, he must die, but "only as Aaron his brother was gath- 
ered." And are we better than those who have gone before us ? And 
is there any reason why we should be exempted from their lot? The 
previous removal of the pious, especially those of our own relations, 
tends to render death more familiar. It comes near enough for us to 
view it. It enters our very apartments. It also tends to diminish our 
forebodings and despondency. We have seen that God was better to 
them than their fears. He was with them in the valley. Their end 
was peace. They were supported. They were comforted. And we 
thank God, and take courage. Why should it not be so with us ? It 
also weakens our attachment to life. We have fewer detentions below, 
and so many more attractions above. Who has not felt the sentiment, 
"Let us also go away, that we may die with him?" 

Surely the bitterness of death is past. 

" I could renounce my all below, 

If my Creator bid ; 
And run, if I were called to go, 
And die as Moses did." f 



JANUARY 22. 

"And they said one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked 
with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures ?" Luke 24 : 32. 

That is, we have now discovered him. How was it that we did not 
discover him earlier, and find him out upon the road ? Why did we 
not distinguish him by his very speaking — the manner of it — the effect 
of it, in touching and animating the heart ? 

Ah, my soul, it is thus his teaching is to be known — it is always 
felt. And while other teachers reach only the ear, he penetrates the 
heart, and causes it to burn with ingenuous shame, with abhorrence of 
sin, with holy revenge, with love to his name, with zeal for his glory, 
with earnestness to save sinners. 

He now converses with us by the way, and he opens to us the Scrip- 
tures ; and he does it in three ways : 

First, by his dispensations. As the word explains providence, so 
providence illustrates the word. How many passages are there in the 
Bible, the beauty of which we should never have seen, the sweetness of 
which we should never have tasted, the force of which we should never 
have felt, had it not been for certain events, and those chiefly of an 
afflictive kind. These drive us to the book, never so valued as in the 
day of trouble, and enable us to read with other eyes and feelings than 
before. 

Secondly, by the labors of his servants. He replenishes his minis- 
ters, that they may dispense to others ; he gives them the tongue of the 
learned, that they should know how to speak a word in season to him 



JANUARY 23. 49 

that is weary. It was in the temple David wished to inquire. It was 
when he went into the sanctuary of God that he seized a clew which 
enabled him to unravel a mystery which had so confounded and dis- 
tressed him before. And while hearing the word preached, have not 
our doubts been often solved, our fears dispelled, our faith and hope 
strengthened ? That which was general before, has been particular- 
ized ; that which was distant, has been brought home to our apprehen- 
sions ; that which was read without impression or notice, has become 
significant and interesting. How often has the angel of the church, 
like Hagar's angel, opened our eyes, and shown us the well. 

Thirdly, by the agency of his Holy Spirit. " He shall lead you into 
all truth." Means do not render his influence needless ; revelation 
itself does not. David had the word of God, but he kneeled and 
prayed, " Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out 
of thy law." The dial tells us the time, but the sun must shine upon it. 
The compass enables the mariner to steer, but not if it be placed in the 
dark. "In thy light we shall see light." 

Here is the promise, at once to direct and encourage, " If any man 
lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and 
upbraideth not ; and it shall be given him." What is the reason why 
many, in the greatness of their folly, for ever go astray ? They do not 
trust in the Lord with all their heart, but lean to their own under- 
standings. But the wayfaring man, though a fool, errs not, because, 
made sensible of his ignorance and insufficiency, he in all his ways 
acknowledges God, and God himself directs his paths, and is his guide 
even unto death. 

JANUARY 23. 

" Knock, and it shall be opened unto you."' Luke 11 : 9. 

It is needless to prove that by this action our Saviour intends 
prayer. But see the simplicity and familiarity of his comparisons, and 
wonder not that the common people heard him gladly. Volumes have 
been written upon the subject of prayer ; but he who spake as never 
man spake, compares every thing in one word — knock. The allusion is 
to a person who wishes to excite attention, in order to obtain relief — 
he knocks. 

Where are we to knock ? " I am," says the Saviour, " the door." "I 
am the way, the truth, and the life j no man cometh unto the Father, 
but by me." 

When are we to knock? "Evening and morning and at noon," says 
David, "will I pray and cry aloud." "Pray without ceasing," says 
Paul. And says our Lord, "Men ought always to pray, and not to 
faint." ^ 

For what are we to knock ? We may in every thing by prayer and 
supplication make known our requests unto God. But we are supremely 
to implore all spiritual blessings, because these are blessings for the 

Mom. Exer 4 



50 MORNING EXEECISES. 

soul and eternity. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his right- 
eousness. 

How are we to knock ? Importunately ; we caunot knock too loud. 
Prayer is nothing unless it be sincere and earnest. God will not 
regard the address we ourselves do not feel. Jacob said, " I will not 
let thee go, except thou bless me ;" and he prevailed. How? Persever- 
ingly. The Lord does not always immediately appear to our joy. " I 
waited patiently for the Lord," says David ; " and," at last, " he inclined 
his ear unto me, and heard my cry." And " blessed," it is said, " are all 
they that wait for him." But though it be a good thing for a man not 
only to hope, but quietly wait for the salvation of God, it is often no 
easy thing. The delay is trying in itself, but circumstances may render 
it more so. While standing at the door, the weather may be foul; or 
those passing by may laugh and insult, for they are full and have need 
of nothing ; or the applicant may be weak, and ready to faint. And 
what, while thus exercised, can keep him knocking and waiting ? Noth- 
ing but a sense of his wants. They are so pressing, that he must suc- 
ceed, or perish. Nothing but hope. This hope may be sometimes very 
weak. But a degree of it, if it only amounts to a mere possibility, is 
necessary to preserve him from abandoning his suit, and saying, " What 
should I wait for the Lord any longer?" More, however, is desirable 
and attainable ; and here is enough to say to him, " Wait on the Lord ; 
be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thy heart : wait, I say, on 
the Lord." Here is the command, " knock." Here is the promise, " it 
shall be opened." 

But how shall I plead ? I knock, and long for audience ; and yet I 
draw back, and seem afraid to be seen. For what can I say ? What 
does the beggar say? He is not at a loss. He knows a fine address 
is not necessary, it would be contemned. Yet he can express his mean- 
ing, and his wants and feelings make him eloquent. Begin, then, and 
say, 

" Encouraged by thy word 
Of promise to the poor, 
Behold, a beggar, Lord, 
Waits at thy mercy's door. 
No hand, no heart, Lord, but thine 
Can help or pity wants like mine." 
Yet add, 

" The beggar's usual plea, 
Relief from men to gain, 
If offered unto thee, 
I know thou wouldst disdain ; 
And pleas which move thy gracious ear, 
Are such as men would scorn to hear." 
There are five of these pleas urged by others, which you must com- 
pletely reverse. 

How often does the beggar plead his former condition. "He has 
seen better days ; and once had a sufficiency for himself and others." 
But this must be your language i 



JANUARY 23. 51 

"I have no right to say, 

That though I now am poor, 

Yet once there was a day 

When I possessed more : 
Thou knowest that from my very birth 
I ve been the poorest wretch on earth." 

How often does the beggar plead his innocency or goodness. " I 
have been reduced, not by my fault, but by misfortune ; and deserve 
pity rather than censure." But your language must be, 

" Nor can I dare profess, 

As beggars often do, 

Though great is my distress, 

My faults have been but few ; 
If thou should 'st leave my soul to starve, 
It would be what I well deserve." 

How often does the beggar plead the unusualness of his application. 
" This is not my practice ; it is the first, and shall be the last time of 
my importuning you." But your language must be, 

" 'T were folly to pretend 

I never begged before ; 

Or, if thou now befriend, 

I '11 trouble thee no more : 
Thou often hast relieved my pain, 
And often I must come again." 

How often does the beggar plead the smallness of the boon. " A 
very little will suffice me ; I ask only a trifle." But your language 

must be, 

" Though crumbs are much too good 
For such a dog as I, 
No less than children's food 
My soul can satisfy. 

do not frown and bid me go, 

1 must have all thou canst bestow." 

Men, so limited are their resources, are afraid of more applications 
than they can relieve ; and therefore enjoin the petitioner secrecy, and 
he promises concealment. But your language must be, 

" Nor can I willing be 

Thy bounty to conceal 

From others who, like me, 

Their wants and hunger feel : 
I '11 tell them of thy mercies' store, 
And try to send a thousand more." 

And he will be delighted with this. He commands you to spread his 
goodness, and to invite all the ends of the earth. 

" Thy thoughts, thou only wise, 

Our thoughts and ways transcend, 

Far as the arched skies 

Above the earth extend : 
Such pleas as mine men would not hear ; 
But God receives a beggar's prayer." 



52 MORNING EXERCISES. 

JANUARY 24. 

" Thy blessing is upon thy people." Psa. 3 : 8. 

God lias a people ; and we need not ascend into heaven, and examine 
his decrees, to know who they are. The Bible is our book of life ; 
there the heirs of glory are written, if not by name, yet by character ; 
and " we are the circumcision," says the apostle, " who worship God in 
the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the 
flesh." 

By the Scripture, therefore, let us judge ourselves ; and be anxious 
to ascertain whether we are in the number of his people, for they are 
the most important and enviable people upon earth. They are not com- 
monly distinguished by any worldly greatness, and they have many 
enemies who consult their injury ; but the blessing of God is upon them : 

Upon their mercies. This takes the curse out of them, and gives 
them a relish never tasted in the comforts of others. " I will bless thy 
bread and thy water." 

Upon their trials. And they as much need a blessing upon their 
daily rod, as upon their daily bread. Without this, our afflictions will 
do us no good ; yea, they will prove injurious ; they will leave us more 
careless and impenitent. But by his blessing, they will turn to our sal- 
vation ; and yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness to them that are 
exercised therewith. 

Upon their labors. " Thou shalt eat the labor of thy hands ; happy 
shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee." Without this, in vain 
we rise up early and sit up late, and eat the bread of sorrows ; it is He 
that giveth his beloved sleep. It matters not what we sow, if he does 
not give the increase ; or what we bring home, if he blows upon it ; or 
what we gain, if we " put it into a bag with holes." " The blessing of 
the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." 

Upon their families. The house of Obed-Edom was blessed for the 
sake of the ark, and the thing was publicly known. " I have been 
young," says David, " and now am old, yet have I not seen the right- 
eous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." " The generation of the 
upright shall be blessed." 

Upon their souls. Thus they are blessed with light and liberty 
and strength and peace and joy ; yea, they are " blessed with all spir- 
itual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." 

Christian, is this thy experience and portion? Rejoice, and be 
grateful. What can equal the blessing of God ? 

But remember how it comes upon you. The source is his free and 
boundless grace. The medium is the Lord Jesus ; he is the way from 
God to us, as well as the way from us to God. 

Remember how it is insured — by the truth of his promise and his 
oath. You may therefore remind him of his engagement, and plead, as 
Jacob did, " And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good." 

Remember also how it is to be enjoyed — in the use of means, and in 



JANUARY 25. 53 

obedience to his will. " Blessed are they that do judgment, and keep 
his commandments at all times." 

my soul, put in for a share. " Bless me, even me also, my Fa- 
ther." "Remember me, Lord, with the favor that thou bearest unto 
thy people : visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of 
thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I 
may glory with thine inheritance." 



JANUARY 25. 

"And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is 
sick : and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And one told Jacob, 
and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee : and Israel strengthened himself, and 
sat upon the bed." Gen. 48 : 1, 2. 

After a very cloudy day, Jacob has a clear and calm evening. And 
it is but an evening. He is now called to go the way of all the earth, 
but his end is peace. Some die suddenly. But the more common road 
to the house appointed for all living is down the narrow, miry, dark, 
and dismal lane of sickness. The former is a privilege to the indi- 
vidual himself, as it saves him from " the pains, the groans, the dying 
strife f but the latter befriends his usefulness more, by affording him 
opportunities to exercise the graces of the Holy Spirit, and showing 
how religion can sustain when every other supply fails, and refresh 
when every other spring of comfort is dried up. But we are not to 
choose for ourselves ; and if we can hope that the Saviour will receive 
us to himself, we may well leave the when, the where, and the how to 
his wisdom and love. 

When sickness seizes persons in early life, and removes them in the 
midst of their days and usefulness, we seem surprised. Yet wherefore? 
Are not all our days vanity? And if by reason of strength they be 
fourscore years, is not their strength labor and sorrow ? What then 
can we expect at one hundred and forty-seven ? 

Jacob had some time before kept his bed, and Joseph had visited 
him ; but seeing no immediate danger of death, he had returned. 
Now the case assumes a more threatening character, and he is recalled. 
Doubtless they had sent to another being, saying, " Lord, behold, he 
whom thou lovest is sick." But they do well to inform Joseph; and 
Joseph immediately leaves his public affairs, and hastens to visit him. 
To visit the sick is a duty. If it affords the sufferer no effectual relief, 
it is soothing to show our regard, our sympathy, and our readiness to 
help. It is always profitable to ourselves, and far better than going to 
the house of mirth. For here the heart is made better, more serious, 
and more soft. Hence the dying bed is shunned by infidel and worldly 
companions, who love not to be reminded how soon the condition of 
others may be their own. 

How affecting is it to visit a fellow-creature, the progress of whose 
disorder is saying to corruption, thou art my father, and to the worm, 
thou art my mother and my sister. But to see a dear friend, a beloved 



54 MORNING EXERCISES. 

relation, a revered parent sinking under the decays of nature and the 
violence of disease ! It is a sick dying father, who had trained him up 
under an affection too partial, that Joseph visits. Though death does 
not follow the order of nature, but the appointment of God, yet, while 
parents are living, there seems to be something between us and death ; 
but when they are removed, his course seems open to us, and we natu- 
rally deem ourselves the next object of assault. 

Joseph goes not alone, but takes his two sons, Manasseh and Ephra- 
im, with him. It was wise and well in Joseph to take these youths 
away from the splendor of a court to see the end of all men ; to view a 
dying-bed dignified with more than a palace could bestow ; to show 
them, at their entering the world, a servant of God departing out of 
it ; to enable them to receive his admonition and blessing ; and to be 
reminded that, though born in Egypt, Egypt was not to be their home ; 
but while incorporated with strangers, they were to seek the heritage 
of Jacob, God's chosen. 

How much wiser and better was this, than the conduct of many par- 
ents, who, instead of bringing them up in the nurture and admonition 
of the Lord, conduct their children into scenes of gayety and dissipation, 
exciting and feeding the pride of life, and making provision for the flesh, 
to fulfil the lusts thereof. We mourn over children that are bereaved of 
their parents, yet we are sometimes tempted to wish the removal of some 
wretched fathers and mothers, hoping that if these examples and teach- 
ers of evil were withdrawn, their children would find it good to bear 
the yoke in their youth, and that the Lord may take them up. The 
worst orphans are those who have wicked parents alive. What a 
dreadful meeting will there be hereafter between their offspring and 
those fathers and mothers who not only neglected their souls, but 
taught and encouraged them to go astray ! 

Not that we would have children confined to religious prisons, or 
even cells. Hinder them not from seeing and enjoying whatever is 
pleasing and instructive in the world of nature, and the wonders of 
art. Keep them not in a frozen region, that shall chill and check every 
harmless budding of mind and affection. Let your piety itself be 
inviting, not rebuking and repulsive. But Oh, ye parents, keep them 
from infidel books, from vicious associates, from every path of the 
destroyer. Allure them to the Bible, to the throne of grace, to the 
grave of friendship, to the chamber where a dying Jacob is waiting for 
God's salvation, to every place where they are likely to meet Him who 
says, "I love them that love me, and they that seek me early shall 
find me." 



JANUARY 26. 

"He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto 
us the earnest of the Spirit." 2 Cor. 5 : 5. 

This selfsame thing is nothing less than the final blessedness of the 
righteous, which, though it doth not yet fully appear, is partially re- 



JANUARY 26. 55 

vealed, and expressed in the Scripture by various names and images. 
It is called, in the preceding verses, " a building of God ; a house not 
made with hands, eternal in the heavens ;" and also "life:" "Mortality 
shall be swallowed up of life" 

With regard to this, the apostle reminds us of God's work, in our 
preparation for the whole, and of God's gift in our possession of a part. 

The preparation is not natural to us. We are not born Christians, 
but made such, and the operation is no less than divine. Creatures have 
not done it, nor have we done it ourselves. It is above the power of edu- 
cation, example, and moral suasion : He that hath wrought us for the self- 
same thing is God. But the work is as necessary as it is divine. In 
vain should we have a title to glory without a meetness for it. Every 
office, every state requires a qualification for it ; and the higher the 
state and the office, the more important and difficult the qualification 
becomes. Happiness is not derivable from any thing, without a suita- 
bleness to it. It does not depend upon the excellency of the object, 
but the conformity of the disposition to it. The acquisition must be 
wanted, desired, hoped for, before it can gratify and content. Have I, 
then, any thing in me that could find happiness in the heaven of the 
Scriptures ? 

If he has wrought us for the whole, he has bestowed upon us a part : 
"He has given us also the earnest of the Spirit." The earnest is not only 
to insure, it is a portion of the payment ; and so is distinguishable from 
a pledge, which is returned at the completion of the agreement, for the 
earnest remains, and goes on as a part of the bargain. This is very 
instructive. It tells, us that what the believer has here, in the posses- 
sion and influence of the Spirit, is not only indicative of heaven, but 
like it, and a degree of it. 

Is heaven perfect knowledge? The eyes of his understanding are 
now opened ; already he spiritually discerns, and in God's light sees 
light. 

Is it perfect holiness ? He is already delivered from the power and 
love of every sin ; he is renewed in the spirit of his mind ; he delights 
in the law of God after the inward man. 

Is it perfect happiness ; exceeding joy ; fulness of joy ; pleasures 
for evermore? But, even now, blessed are the people that know the 
joyful sound. There remaineth a rest for the people of God ; but " we 
which have believed do enter into rest." They shall enter into peace ; 
but now they have "a peace which passeth all understanding." They 
shall enter the joy of their Lord; but now, "believing, they rejoice 
with joy unspeakable and full of glory." They will then join the spirits 
of just men made perfect ; but the saints are now their companions and 
their delight. They will then dwell in his house, and be still praising 
him ; but they are already attempting and commencing this work : " I 
will bless the Lord at all times ; his praise shall continually be in my 
mouth." 

Such experience it is that weans them from the world, and makes 



56 MORNIXG EXERCISES. 

tliem billing to depart. Heaven is not a distant unknown good. 
They are come to the city of the living God. They are partakers of 
the glory that shall be revealed — they have everlasting life. 



JANUARY 27. 

" And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick." Isa. 33 : 24. 

Who can say so here ? How many of our fellow-creatures, the sub- 
jects of infirmity, langour, and nervous apprehension, are saying, "lam 
made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed 
to me. When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be 
gone ? I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day." 
Another is " chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude 
of his bones with strong "pain : his flesh is consumed away, that it can- 
not be seen ; and his bones that were not seen, stick out. Yea, his 
soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers." 
There are few, perhaps none, who never feel indisposition or sickness. 

Sickness is the effect of sin, which brought death into the world, 
and all our woe. It now, under the providence of God, which is not 
only punitive, but salutary, subserves various purposes. It is taken 
into covenant, so to speak, with the godly, and is one of the paths of 
the Lord, which are to them all mercy and truth. It checks them in 
going astray. It frees them from many a temptation, arising from 
more intercourse with the world. It gives them the most sensible 
proofs of the care and kindness and fidelity of their Lord and Saviour. 
He knows their frame, and has promised to be with them in trouble, 
and to comfort them on the bed of languishing, yea, to comfort them as 
one whom his mother comforteth ; and she, while none of her children 
are neglected by her, will be sure to pay the most tender attentions to 
the poor little ailing invalid. 

Yet sickness is an evil in itself, and it is trying to flesh and blood. 
It not only deducts from the relish of all, and prevents entirely the 
enjoyment of some of our outward comforts, but it injures, it hinders 
the performance of a thousand duties, relative, civil, and religious. It 
also often brings a gloom over the mind, and genders unworthy appre- 
hensions of God, and misgivings of our spiritual condition. It not only 
shuts us out from the loveliness of nature, but from the public means of 
grace, and fills us with a mournful pleasure at the thought of seasons 
when we went in company to the house of God, with the voice of joy 
and gladness, to keep holy day. Hence Hezekiah, anxious to ascertain 
his recovery, asked, " What is the sign that I shall go up to the house 
of the Lord ?" How feelingly has Watts described the Lord's prisoner, 
when the Sabbath comes : 

"Lo, the sweet day of sacred rest returns ; 

But not to me returns 

Rest with the day. Ten thousand hurrying thoughts 
Bear me away tumultuous, far from heaven 



JANUARY 28. 57 

And heavenly work : alas, flesh drags me down 
From things celestial, and confines my sense 
To present maladies. Unhappy state ! 
Where the poor spirit is subdued t' endure 
Unholy idleness ; and painful absence 
From God and heaven, and angels' blessed work ; 
And bound to bear the agonies and woes, 
That sickly flesh and shattered nerves impose." 

Well, soon the warfare with the body will be accomplished, and we 
shall put off the flesh, and be in joy and felicity. And as there will be 
no more sin, neither will there be any more pain, for the former things 
are all passed away. 

A union with the body, were it to rise as it now is, would be dreaded, 
rather than desirable. But the body will not only be raised, but im- 
proved — improved beyond all our present comprehension, but not beyond 
our present belief. For we can trust Him who has assured us, that 
though it be sown in weakness, it shall be raised in power ; though it 
be sown a natural body, it shall be raised a spiritual body. This cor- 
ruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immor- 
tality. "We shall bear, not the image of the earthly, but of the heav- 
enly. Our bodies will not be made like the body of Adam in paradise, 
but like the Saviour's own glorious body, "according to the working 
whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." No bur- 
dens, no depressions then ; no clogs ; no confinements ; no animal 
wants ; no debasing appetites ; no unruly passions ; no fluttering 
heart; no aching head! "The inhabitant shall no more say, I am 
sick." 



JANUARY 28. 

"In the wilderness thou hast seen how the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth 
bear his son, in all the way that ye went." Deut. 1 : 31. 

The image is parental. In another part of this book the reference 
is to a parent bird : " As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over 
her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on 
her wings, so the Lord alone did lead him." Here the allusion is to a 
human parent, and it is worthy of remark, how often the allusion is 
made in the Scriptures. Thus, to mention a few of them : " Like as a 
father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." "I 
will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." "If 
ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how 
much more shall your Father, who is in heaven, give good gifts to them 
that ask him ?" The softer sex is also adduced, and maternal tenderness 
supplies feeling as well as thought. "As one whom his mother com- 
forteth, so will I comfort you." " Can a woman forget her sucking 
child, that she should not Iiave compassion on the son of her womb ? 
Yea, she may forget ; yet will not I forget thee." 

Observe the image which Moses here employs. It regards a child, 



58 MORNING EXERCISES. 

a young child. It is too weak to go alone, it is borne. The father is 
here mentioned, not the mother, for the action of bearing requires 
strength, rather than tenderness. The mother may have been dead. 
When one parent is called to supply the place of both, an increase of 
care and kindness becomes necessary, and is soon felt. Imagine, there- 
fore, an Israelite, deprived, in his journey through the wilderness, of 
the companion of his life, perhaps as soon as she had brought him forth 
a son, perhaps in consequence of it. The child, thus bereaved, is en- 
deared by the decease of the mother, and he takes it, and bears it. 
How ? Sometimes in his arms, and often in his bosom. How ? Ten- 
derly, softly, now pressing it to his lips — now soothing its cries — now 
lulling it to repose — feeding it, defending it, supplying all its wants! 

All this God does in reality, and infinitely more. What is the 
goodness, the gentleness, the care of the tenderest being on earth, com- 
pared with the disposition and kindness of God towards his people ? 
When an image is applied to God, we must separate from it all its imper- 
fections. A father may be unable to defend a child. He is sometimes 
absent from it. He cannot be always awake, and inspecting it. He 
may be ignorant of the cause of its complaint. He may not know what 
is good for it. He 'may decline in affection, and become heedless and 
negligent. He may become cruel, and abandon his charge. But 
nothing of all this can apply to Him, who bears us in all the way that 
we go. 

Yea, we must not only strip the image of imperfection when we 
apply it to God, but we must attach to it divinity. Every human rela- 
tion, however complete, is jet finite in its exercise and excellence, but 
his attributes are infinite. His love passeth knowledge. "He is able 
to do for us exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think.'' 7 

Well, hast thou seen, in the wilderness, how the Lord thy God bare 
thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went ? Let the 
sight affect your admiration, and induce you to exclaim, " Lord, what is 
man, that thou art mindful of him ? and the son of man, that thou visit- 
est him ?" We talk of condescension, yet what is the difference between 
one creature and another, one worm and another ? But what is God ? 
What are we ? how mean, unworthy, guilty ! Let it draw forth 

Your gratitude, and call upon your soul, and all that is within you, 
to bless his holy name. " To him that led his people in the wilderness ; 
for his mercy endureth for ever." 

Let it encourage you. 

You are not yet come to the rest and the inheritance which the 
Lord your God giveth you ; but he is with you in the way, and with 
you as your father, engaged to do all that such a relationship requires. 
He has said, " I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Reason from 
the past to the future, and, " because he has been your help, therefore 
under the shadow of his wings rejoice." Let him be 

Your example. Job was a father to the poor, not a tyrant, or an 
overseer. Be kind, as well as bountiful. "Be ye followers of God." 



JANUARY 29. 59 

I In him the fatherless findeth mercy ;" let him find it in 3-011 also. 
• Be ye merciful, even as your Father which is in heaven is merciful." 
Recommend him to others, and say to them, " Come with us, and we 
will do you good, for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel." 
Oh, that the young, who are entering this wilderness world, would 
place themselves under his care, and beseech him to be the guide of 
their youth. Oh, that the bereaved would think of him, who can more 
than repair the losses which make them bleed. " When my father and 
my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up." 



JANUARY 29. 

a And shall leave me alone : and vet I am not alone, because the Father is with me." 
John 16 : 32. 

There is a relation between Christ and Christians, and a conformity 
founded upon it, so that what he says, they may subordinately adopt as 
their own language. 

There are cases in which they may be alone, and there are cases in 
which they ought to be alone, and there is one case in which they must 
be alone ; and yet they are not alone, because the Father is with them. 

They may be alone, by the dispensations of providence. By death, 
lover and friend may be put far from them, and their acquaintance 
into darkness; and bereavements may force from solitude the sigh, "I 
watch, and am as a sparrow upon the housetop." They have often been 
driven out of society by the wickedness of power. Their connections 
have abandoned them through falseness, or deserted them through in- 
firmity. And this is no inconsiderable trial. Our Saviour felt the 
desertion of his disciples, and said, " I looked for some to take pity, and 
there was none ; and for comforters, and found none ;" but looking up- 
ward, he said, "I am not alone, for the Father is with me." Joseph 
was separated from his family, and sold into Egypt, but the Lord was 
with Joseph. John was banished into the isle of Patmos, but there he 
had the visions of the Almighty, and was in the Spirit on the Lord's 
day. "At my first answer," says Paul, "no man stood by me, but all 
men forsook me ; notwithstanding, the Lord stood by me, and strength- 
ened me." Yes ; whoever dies, the Lord liveth. Whoever fails us, he 
is firm. "He is faithful that hath promised. He hath said, I will 
never leave thee, nor forsake thee." 

They ought to be alone, by voluntary solitude. Not that they are to 
become recluses, by abandoning their stations, and shunning intercourse 
with their fellow-creatures. The Christian life is a candle ; but a can- 
dle is not to be placed under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that it may 
give light to all that are in the house ; and our light is to shine before 
men, and they are to see our good works, and glorify our Father who 
is in heaven. But occasional and frequent retirement for religious pur- 
poses is a duty, and it will be found our privilege. We shall never be 
less alone than when alone. " Go forth," says God to Ezekiel, " into 



60 MOENING EXERCISES 

the field, and there will I talk with thee." Isaac, at eventide, was 
meditating in the field, when the Lord brought him Rebekah. Jacob 
was left alone, when he " obtained power with God," and with man, 
and prevailed. Nathanael was seen and encouraged under the fig-tree. 
Peter was by himself praying upon the housetop when he received the 
divine manifestation. If the twelve patriarchs, or the twelve apostles, 
lived near us, and their presence drew us from our closets, their neigh- 
borhood would be a serious injury to us. No creature can be a substi- 
tute for God. And it is alone we hold the freest and fullest communion 
with him. It is there the secret of the Lord is with us, and he shows 
us his covenant. There we become acquainted with ourselves. There 
we shake off the influence of the world. It is good to be there. 

Men may live in a crowd, but they must die alone. Friends and 
ministers can only accompany us to the entrance of the passage. None 
of them can speak from experience, none of them can tell us what it is 
to die. And it is a way we have not gone ourselves heretofore. But 
the Christian, though alone, is not alone even here. " Yea," says David, 
" though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear 
no evil ; for thou art with me : thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." 

Oh, to have a God, the God of all grace, at hand, a very present 
help in that time of trouble, laying underneath his everlasting arms — 
shedding around the light of his countenance — communicating the joy 
of his salvation, and insuring the glory to be revealed, in ways beyond 
all our present experience and thought ! 

" my God, what time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. Thou 
hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy 
counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven 
but thee ? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My 
flesh and my heart faileth ; but God is the strength of my heart, and 
my portion for ever." 



JANUARY 30. 

" And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his 
household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually ; and 
when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa." Acts 10 : 7, 8. 

Such was his obedience to the heavenly vision. It was immediate, 
and well executed. 

He did not himself go for Peter. This he would have readily done, 
but he was ordered by the angel to send. His presence was proper and 
necessary at home. He was a man in office, and in command. He had 
a weighty trust reposed in him, and we are to abide with God in our 
callings. 

The messengers he employed were " two of his household servants ;" 
this shows him to have been a man of some estate besides his profes- 
sion ; and a " devout soldier of them that waited on him continually." 
Observe here, the officer himself was a devout man, and he has not 



JANUARY 31. 61 

only devoted, but devout soldiers. The master was godly, and the ser- 
vants are the same ; for it is said, Cornelius feared God, with all his 
house ; like Joshua, who said, " As for me and my house, we will serve 
the Lord. 7 ' This correspondence between the head and the members 
of the family may be accounted for two ways. First, such a man will 
choose, as far as he can, those that are religious to attend him — saying 
with David, "Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they 
may dwell with me ; he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve 
me. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house ; he that 
telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight." And secondly, he will be likely 
to render them such, if they are not such when he engages them. For 
he will be sure to use all the. means in his power, and his own temper 
and example will harmonize with his efforts ; and the grace of God, 
which he will never fail to implore, will honor him. Thus they who 
are blessed, are also blessings, and for them the desert rejoices as a 
rose. Some are favored, by their opportunities and talents, to cultivate 
a large expanse of barrenness : but let us see, let us all see whether we 
cannot convert a small spot, at least, from waste to smiling verdure ; 
and cultivate, if not the neighboring moor, yet a cottage garden ; and 
let the traveller say, as he passes by, " The blessing of the Lord be 
upon thee." Many a domestic has been thankful that he ever entered 
a pious family : there he has been made wise unto salvation, and has 
become a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus. What a disgrace is it, 
for a Christian master and mistress to let a servant leave their family 
unable to read the Bible, or without a Bible to read ! 

" So, having declared these things to them, he sent them to Joppa." 
Here we have not a harsh injunction to a trembling slave ; not a bare 
order, couched in a few unexplained terms ; not the sealed instructions, 
the orders of a tyrant, who is to be implicitly obeyed, and is afraid to 
trust. Here is intercourse — openness. Here is confidence in the mas- 
ter, reposing on principle in the servants. How happy, where the dis- 
tinctions of life are preserved — and they are to be preserved — and yet 
there is union and harmony, and condescension and kindness and unre- 
serve on the one side, and respect and obedience, without encroachment, 
on the other. How happy, where authority is softened by gentleness, 
and submission by love ; where indulgence breeds nothing like irrever- 
ence, and goodness is rewarded by diligence and fidelity. And in what 
connections, in what families, is all this most likely to be found ? " Men 
do not gather grapes from thorns, nor figs from thistles." Piety is the 
spring, the guard, the refinement, the glory of morality. 



JANUARY 31. 

''And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, which, when he had 
cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet." Exod. 15 :25. 

It is useless to inquire what kind of a tree this was, and whether 
the effect was produced by a quality inherent in the wood, or by a 



62 MOKNING EXERCISES. 

miraculous application. The latter is far the most likely. But it has 
been disputed whether this transaction was designed to be an evangeli- 
cal type. Perhaps it is impossible to determine this, and it is unneces- 
sary. We shall only derive from it an illustration of a very interesting 
subject, in which we are fully justified by the words of the apostle to the 
suffering Hebrews : " Consider him that endured such contradiction of 
sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." 

"We, like these Jews, are travelling through a wilderness. In our 
journey we meet with bitter waters. These are the troubles of life, 
personal and relative. These are very distasteful and offensive to flesh 
and blood. But they may be rendered drinkable. In other words, we 
may be able to endure the afflictions of life ; yea, we may even acqui- 
esce in them : and not only so, but glory in tribulation also. 

But how can this be done ? Here is the secret : 

" The cross, on which the Saviour died, 
And conquered for his saints — 
This is the tree, by faith applied, 
That sweetens all complaints, 

" Thousands have proved the blessed effect ; 
Nor longer mourn their lot : 
While on his sorrows they reflect. 
Their own are all forgot. 

"While they by faith behold the cross, 
Though many griefs they meet, 
They draw a gain from every loss, 
And find the bitter sweet." 

Let us see how the Saviour's sufferings will alleviate ours. It is some 
relief in distress that others are exercised in the same way. Individu- 
ality of woe looks ominous ; it is appalling to be singled out like a 
victim deer from the whole herd, and suffer alone. Thus the apostle 
tells the Corinthians that no temptation had taken them but such as is 
common to man ; and Peter also tells the sufferers he addressed, that 
the same afflictions were accomplished in their brethren that were in 
the world. So it is, whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth. This has 
been the case with even his most eminent servants. And even his 
" dear Son," in whom his soul delighted, he, even he, did not escape. 
And shall we dread the fellowship of his sufferings ? 

But if there is something to affect the mind, even in the reality of 
his passion, there is much more in the greatness of it. In general, our 
groaning is heavier than our complaint; and we are prone, from our 
selfishness and ignorance, to imagine our trials preeminent. He could 
say, Behold, and see if ever there were sorrows like unto my sorrow. 
In our sorrow we have alleviations. Ours are not perpetual, but his 
continued through life. Ours are not universal, but he suffered in every 
part that was capable of suffering ; he was a man of sorrows. Ours 
are not foreknown, but his were all laid out in prospect, and he suffered 
in apprehension, as well as reality. No tongue can express, or under- 



JANUARY 31. 63 

standing conceive, what he bore when his soul was exceeding sorrowful, 
even unto death, and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood 
falling to the ground ! 

We must also think of the dignity of this sufferer. We commonly 
and properly feel more for those who are reduced in life, than for those 
who have never enjoyed a better state, because the penury is imbittered 
by previous affluence. Job considers his former greatness as an en- 
hancement of his fall, and contrasts with the honors shown him in his 
prosperity, the insults now offered him by those whose fathers he would 
have set with the dogs of his flock. " They were children of fools ; 
yea, children of base men : they were viler than the earth. And now 
I am their song ; yea, I am their byword. They abhor me, they flee far 
from me, and spare not to spit in my face." Jesus was the Lord of all, 
and all the angels of God worshipped him. Yet was he despised and 
rejected of men ; he was buffeted, scourged, spit upon ; and not only the 
scribes and elders, but the soldiers, the common rabble, and the very 
thieves set him at naught, and vilified him. But who and what are we? 
Our foundation is in the dust. Man is a worm. It is condescension in 
God to have any thing to do with him, yea, even to chastise him. 
1 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him, and that thou should- 
est set thy heart upon him ; and that thou shouldest visit him every 
morning, and try him every moment 2" 

But the great may render themselves worthy of their humiliations, 
and often have been righteously punished. We suffer justly, because we 
suffer the due reward of our deeds. Good men themselves cannot com- 
plain, or even wonder at their afflictions, when they consider their years 
of irreligion, and their sins since they have known God, or rather, have 
been known of him ; for who can understand his errors? In the sudden 
and awful death of his two sons, Aaron held his peace — he had just 
before been aiding to make the golden calf. David had been recently 
guilty of adultery and murder ; when therefore Absalom, his own son 
as well as subject, rose against him, what could he but say of his of- 
fended God, Here I am ; let him do to me what seemeth good unto him. 
"I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because," says the church, "I 
have sinned against him." But this man did nothing amiss. He was 
harmless, holy, separate from sinners. He could make the appeal to 
all his adversaries, Which of you convinceth me of sin ? Yet he suf- 
fered — suffered, though innocent, and was led as a lamb to the slaughter. 

His sufferings, therefore, -were for us, only and entirely for us ; and 
what can be more relieving in our sorrows, than to consider the benefits 
we derive from his? Such is the benefit of an atoning sacrifice, by 
which we are delivered from all condemnation, and have peace with 
God, and access to him. What are trials, when there is no wrath in 
them, when they are only the effects of a Father's care ? Then the bit- 
terness of death is past. Such is the benefit of a sympathizing friend, 
who. from his own experience, can be touched with the feeling of our 
infirmities, for in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able 



64 MORNING EXERCISES. 

also to succor them that are tempted. Such is the benefit of an exam- 
ple which shows us how to act and how to feel in the hour of trial, for 
he also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow his 
steps. Such is the benefit of divine influence, for, by dying, he obtained 
for us the dispensation of the Spirit, which is therefore called his Spirit, 
and without the supply of which we must fail and sink, but his grace 
is sufficient for us. 

How encouraging, too, is it to remember the issue of his sufferings ! 
"For the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising 
the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." 
Our sorrows will also have an end, and the same end. " It is a faithful 
saying ; for if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him. If 
we suffer with him, we shall also be glorified together." 



FEBRUARY 1. 

"Do ye now believe?" John 16 : 31. 

This was in reply to the profession of his disciples. They had said 
unto him, "Now speakest thou plainly. Now we are sure that thou 
knowest all things : by this we believe that thou earnest forth from 
God." 

It is not easy to lay the emphasis with perfect certainty, and yet, 
according as it is laid, the language will strike us with some shades of 
difference. 

"We may consider the words as an inquiry. " Do ye now believe ? I 
have a right to ask, and I do ask." He is not inattentive to our con- 
dition and our experience, our deficiencies and our improvements. 
And though he needed not that any should testify of man, because he 
knoweth what is in man, yet he will know these things from ourselves, 
that we may be urged to consider, and be affected with our own com- 
munications. 

We may regard them as a censure. "Do ye now believe ? Ye ought 
to have believed long ago ; yet hitherto, it would seem, according to 
your own avowal, you have not, that is, as you ought to have done, and 
as you might have done. How strange and blameable, that, with all 
your advantages, you have been, even down to this hour, filled with hes- 
itation and doubts !" For he can reprove as well as encourage. Do 
ye not remember ? Do ye not yet understand ? After his resurrection, 
lie upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart. 

We may consider them as a check to presumption. " Bo ye now be- 
lieve ? You think so, but have you not expressed yourselves with too 
much confidence? You now consider yourselves confirmed believers, 
and you suppose that you shall never err again, fail again. I know 
you better than you know yourselves. Imagination is not reality. 
Events will prove that you have much less faith than you now sup- 



FEBRUARY 2. 65 

pose." " Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be 
scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone." 

There is a difference between hypocrisy and instability. We may 
feel what we utter at the time, but emotions are not principles, impulses 
are not dispositions. There may be goodness, but it is like the morn- 
ing cloud and early dew, that soon passeth away. How often do we 
become a wonder, as well as a grief, to ourselves ! How little do we 
know of our own hearts, till we are tried ! The little ants disappear 
in the cloudy and rainy day, and the observer might suppose they were 
all dead. But let the sun shine forth, and they are again all alive and 
in motion. There is the same mud at the bottom of the water when 
calm, but the waves thereof cast up the mire and dirt. 

Let us not, therefore, make too much of frames and feelings. Let 
us not imagine, because we are now walking in the light of God's coun- 
tenance, that we shall never again mourn his absence. Behold, the 
hour cometh when we may consider all our present joy as only a delu- 
sion. Do we now believe? A change in the weather, a depression of 
animal spirits, may renew all our doubts and fears, and we may be all 
apprehension again. 

Therefore let us rejoice with trembling. Let us remember our own 
weakness, and instead of depending on the grace that is in us, "be 
strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 

''Beware of Peter's word; 
Nor confidently say, 
I never will deny thee, Lord ; 
. But, Grant I never may. 

Man's wisdom is to seek 

His strength in God alone ; 
And e'en an angel would be weak 

That trusted in his own." 



FEBRUARY 2. 

" Oh that I had wings like a dove ! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." Psa. 
55:6. 

Whose exclamation is this ? It is obviously the language of a man 
not at rest. And if we read the preceding and following verses, we 
shall find that the complainant was indeed really in trouble. And so 
are many. It seems inseparable from humanity. Man that is born of 
a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. 

But who was this man ? One of those deemed the darlings of Prov- 
idence, a man who had experienced one of the most marvellous revolu- 
tions recorded in history. For he was originally nothing more than a 
shepherd, but rose from obscurity, and became a hero, a renowned con- 
queror, a powerful monarch. God had given him the necks of his ene- 
mies and the hearts of his subjects, and we might have supposed him 
sated with victory and glory, and dominion and riches. But, from the 

Morn. Exer. £) 



66 MORNING EXERCISES. 

midst of all this, he sighs, " Oh that I had wings like a dove ! for then 
would I fly away, and be at rest." For, with all his aggrandizements, 
how much did he suffer from implacable malevolence ! How much also 
from some of his own officers, and especially his nephew Joab, the com- 
mander-in-chief ! After rearing his fine palace of cedar, he could not 
for a length of time take possession of it, for he was sick nigh unto 
death, and week after week saw the graves ready for him. And sup- 
pose they had then brought out his crown, and imposed it upon him, 
would this have eased an aching head, or have relieved the anguish of 
a disordered body ? What is an ornamented room in the rage of a 
fever ? His own house also was not so with God. What a distracted 
and wretched family! His daughter is humbled. The incestuous 
brother is murdered. The murderer becomes a traitor, and drives his 
father as well as king into exile. In his flight, he is told that Ahitho- 
phel, his bosom-friend and counsellor, is among the conspirators with 
Absalom. Who can tell what other sorrows corroded him ? " The 
heart knoweth his own bitterness." There are griefs that we cannot 
pour even into the bosom of intimacy. There are thorns in the nest 
that pierce through the down that lines it, known and felt only by 
the occupier. Did David never regret the loss of the privacy of Beth- 
lehem ? 

The spirit that is in us lusteth to envy. We are prone to think 
that, though generally men are born to trouble, there are some exempted 
individuals, and that though, commonly considered, this earth is a vale 
of tears, there are some privileged spots. And it is worthy our obser- 
vation, that these exceptions always belong to others, and always to 
those who are above us. Is the servant happy ? He will when he is 
master. Is the master happy ? He will when he is rich. Is the rich 
man happy ? He will when he is ennobled, and has distinction as well 
as gold. Is the nobleman happy ? He will when he is king. Is the 
king, the king, happy? "Oh," says he, "Oh that I had wings like a 
dove ! for then would I fly away, and be at rest." 

Let us remember this, and not be afraid when one is made rich, and 
the glory of his house is increased. Let us check the risings of ambi- 
tion, and not seek great things to ourselves. Let us learn, in whatso- 
ever state we are, to be content, and follow the moderation of the 
patriarch, who asked only for bread to eat, and raiment to put on, and 
a safe return to his father's house in peace. 

Felicity depends not upon external condition, but the state of the 
mind. Paul was happy in prison; Nero was miserable in a palace. 
Haman, after telling his wife and his friends all his promotion and 
glory, adds, " Yet all this availeth me nothing so long as I see Mor- 
decai the Jew sitting at the king's gate." " On that night could not 
the king sleep." 

" Tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep — 
He, like the world, his ready visit pays 
Where fortune smiles." 



FEBRUARY 3. 67 

But is this true ? Sleep, sound, wholesome, refreshing sleep, has least 
to do where fortune smiles. His ready visits are paid to the early 
rising, the temperate, the diligent ; the sleep of a laboring man is sweet. 
" The wretched/ 7 indeed, "he forsakes." But where does he find them ? 
Here is one of them, the ruler of one hundred and twenty-seven prov- 
inces — on that night could not the king sleep. Ahab, the monarch of 
Israel, is melancholy and sick, and cannot eat, because he cannot obtain 
Naboth's little parcel of ground for a garden of herbs, and neither his 
happiness or health could go on till his worthy helpmate taught him to 
gratify his wish by the destruction of the noble-minded peasant. How 
wise was the answer of the Shun ami te, when Elisha offered to speak for 
her to the king : " I dwell among my own people." If we are not con- 
tent with such things as we have, we shall never be satisfied with such 
things as we desire. If there is a difference in outward conditions, it 
lies against those who fill the higher ones. Their want of occupation — 
the listlessness, far worse than any labor, they feel — the little relish 
they have of natural refreshment — their sufferings from weak nerves 
and timid spirits — their squeamish anxieties about their health — the 
softening of their disposition by indulgence and ease, so that they are 
unable to endure — their sensibility under trifling vexations, which oth- 
ers despise — their leisure to brood over a progeny of dangers — the 
envies to which they are liable — their cares, fears, responsibilities, and 
dependence — the unreasonable things looked for from them, and their 
inability to give satisfaction to expectants : where shall I end ? These, 
and a thousand other things, should be enough to show the poor and 
the busy that those who are placed above them are taxed in the same 
proportion. 

Neither, however, is the opposite state the most desirable. As far 
as happiness depends on an outward condition, there lies, between the 
extremes of prosperity and adversity, penury and affluence, the most 
eligible choice. If life be a pilgrimage, man the traveller is best pre- 
pared for advancing, not when the shoe pinches, or when it is large and 
loose, but when it fits ; not when he is destitute of a staff to lean upon, 
or when he has a large bundle of such articles to carry, but when he 
has one which affords him assistance without incumbrance. Pray we 
therefore, " Remove far from me vanity and lies : give me neither pov- 
erty nor riches ; feed me with food convenient for me : lest I be full, 
and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord ? or lest I be poor, and steal, 
and take the name of my God in vain." 



FEBRUARY 3 



" Thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the Lord thy God 
redeemed thee thence." Deut. 24 : 18. 

The bondage of Egypt, under Pharaoh's tyranny and taskmasters, 
was nothing to the bondage of corruption in which sinners are natu- 
rally held, and the power of darkness, from which we are translated 



68 MOENING EXERCISES. 

into the kingdom of God's dear Son. And the freedom the Jews ob- 
tained, when they were delivered by a strong hand and a stretched-out 
arm, was not to be compared with the glorious liberty of the sons of 
God. If the Son makes us free, we are free indeed. 

And this redemption is what we are called to remember. The ad- 
monition may seem needless. For can such a deliverance be ever for- 
gotten ? We should once have deemed it impossible, but we are prone 
to forget his works, and the wonders which he has shown us. The 
event indeed can never be forgotten completely. But we need to have 
our minds stirred up by way of remembrance. And for four purposes. 
We should remember that we were bondmen in the land of Egypt, but 
the Lord our God redeemed us thence : 

First, for the purpose of humility. We are prone to think more highly 
of ourselves than we ought to think, but with the lowly is wisdom. " God 
resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble." And surely 
we have enough to hide pride from us, if we reflect properly. If we 
are now wise, we were once foolish ; if we are now justified, we were 
once condemned ; if we are now the sons of God, we were once the 
servants of sin. " Let us look to the rock whence we were hewn, and 
to the hole of the pit whence we were digged." 

Secondly, we should remember it for the purpose of gratitude. We 
are affected with the kindnesses shown us by our fellow-creatures, yet 
they are under obligation to relieve us. We had not forfeited our lives 
to them. They did not deliver us from the lowest hell. They did not 
become poor to enrich us, and die that we may live. And shall we 
overlook our infinite Benefactor? We have no claims upon Him, for 
the least of all his mercies, and therefore should be thankful for all his 
benefits. But herein is love. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable 
gift. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and re- 
deemed his people. 

Thirdly, we should remember it for the purpose of confidence. 
David argued from the past to the future, and said, "Because thou hast 
been my help, therefore under the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice." 
But here we have a peculiar reason for encouragement. For what were 
we when he first took knowledge of us? Was he not found of them 
that sought him not ? The want of worthiness was not a bar to his 
goodness then ; and will it be so now ? Is there with him any vari- 
ableness or shadow of turning ? Is there not the same power in his 
arm, and the same love in his heart? Did he pardon me when a rebel, 
and will he cast me off now he has made me a friend ? " If, when we 
were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much 
more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." u He that spared 
not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with 
him also freely give us all things?" 

Fourthly, we should remember it for the purpose of pity and zeal. 
How many are there all around you, in the gall of bitterness and the 
bond of iniquity, ready to perish! You know the state they are in, 



FEBRUARY 4. 69 

and you know the blessedness of a deliverance from it. You are wit- 
nesses for God, and can tell of what he is able and willing to do. You 
can speak from experience. Invite, therefore, the prisoners of hope to 
turn to him. Say to the destitute, That which we have seen and heard, 
declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us. taste 
and see that the Lord is good : blessed is the man that trusteth in him. 



FEBRUARY 4 



"And Jacob said, God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the 
Lord which saidst unto me, Eeturn unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal 
well with thee : I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which 
thou hast showed unto thy servant for with my staff I passed over this Jordan ; and now 
I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the 
hand of Esau : for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the 
children. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of 
the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude." Gen. 32 : 9-12. 

We cannot too much admire the conduct of Jacob on this trying 
occasion, when he had to meet his enraged brother Esau. The religion 
that, aiming at something uncommon and preternatural, disregards the 
plain dictates of reason and revelation, is always to be suspected. On 
the other hand, caution and exertion, unaccompanied with a devout 
dependence upon God. is the wisdom of the world, which is foolishness 
with him, and he will take the wise in their own craftiness. Therefore 
prudence and piety should always be connected together. 

Accordingly, Jacob sends forward a deputation, with a soft answer 
that turneth away wrath, and a present which makes way for a man, 
and arranges his company and cattle in the wisest order for escape. 
But what does he then ? When we have done all that we can do, to 
what does the whole amount? "Except the Lord build the house, they 
labor in vain that build it : except the Lord keep the city, the watch- 
man waketh but in vain :" and unless he gives his beloved sleep, " in 
vain we rise early and sit up late, and eat the bread of sorrows." 
When we have planned, and are setting all our measures in motion, 
then is the time to take hold of God, and say, "0 Lord, I beseech thee, 
send now prosperity." Jacob, therefore, now prays ; and as this prayer 
was heard, and He who teaches us how to pray is our best friend, let 
us glance at the particulars which God has here noticed. 

Observe the relation under which he addresses the supreme Being : 
" God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac f as much 
as to say, my family God, and my God in covenant. This was laying 
hold of his faithfulness, as well as goodness, and asking in faith. We 
have another title under which to speak attention, the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. This inspires more abundant hope, and in- 
volves more exceeding great and precious promises. It reminds of a 
covenant made with him, and so with us, everlasting, ordered in all 
things, and sure. 



70 MORXIXG EXERCISES. 

He appeals to the will of God in his present difficulty. "Thou 
saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will 
deal well with thee." I am now in a strait, but I have been brought 
into it by following thee. This was wise. They that suffer according 
to the will of God, may commit the keeping of their souls to him in 
well-doing. It affords great relief to the mind, and much aids our con- 
fidence, when we are conscious that the embarrassments we feel have 
not been brought upon ourselves, but have befallen us in the path of 
duty. And how does it add to the pressure of the burden, and the bit- 
terness of the cup, when God asks, " What doest thou here, Elijah ?" and 
conscience cries, "Hast thou not procured this unto thyself?" Let no 
man, therefore, suffer as a murderer, as a thief, or as a busybody in 
other men's matters. We complain of the world, and there are many 
unavoidable ills in life, but there is a large multitude of evils entirely 
of our own producing, and God is no otherwise accessory to them, than 
as he has in the nature of things and the course of providence, estab- 
lished a connection between folly and misery. 

He shows his humility. " I am not worthy of the least of all the 
mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant." 
This temper is not natural to us, but grace brings us down, and keeps 
us from thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. We 
cannot have too much of this self-abasing disposition : it will restrain 
us from exercising ourselves in great matters, and in things too high 
for us ) it will keep us from murmuring under our trials ; it will teach 
us, in whatever state we are, therewith to be content, and it will dis- 
pose us in every thing to be content. Only in proportion as we are 
humble, can we be thankful. 

Jacob therefore acknowledges the kindness of God towards him. 
More than twenty years before, he had crossed the same river where he 
now was. At that time he had no inheritance, no, not so much as to 
set his foot on. He was going forth, a poor pilgrim in search of sub- 
sistence, and all that he stipulated for was, bread to eat, and raiment to 
put on, and a return to his father's house in peace. From this condition 
he had been raised to affluence, and his family and his flock had equally 
multiplied. Therefore says he, " For with my staff I passed over this 
Jordan ; and now I am become two bands." We should do well often 
to review life, and to mark the changes which have taken place in our 
stations and circumstances. Have not many attained conditions, which 
would once have appeared the most improbable ? Yet the Lord has 
made windows in heaven, and such things have been. Yet he has 
brought the blind by a way that they knew not, and made darkness light 
before them. Those born in the lap of ease, and whose course has been 
always even, cannot enter into the feelings of those who have found 
themselves advanced, without any designs formed by their friends, or 
expectations indulged by themselves. But how sad will it be, if they 
want the disposition of Jacob, and forgetting that the blessing of the 
Lord maketh rich, sacrifice to their own net ! 



FEBRUARY 5. 71 

Observe this petition : " Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of 
my brother, from the hand of Esau : for I fear him, lest he will come 
and smite me, and the mother with the children." Here nature speaks, 
and we are allowed to feel, and even to desire the cup may pass from 
us, with submission to the will of God. How much was there here to 
awaken anxiety and dread : not only his own death, but the destruction 
of each of his wives, and each a mother too, and of his children also, 
and of the mother with the children, or, as it is in the margin, the 
mother upon the children. So it would have been. On the approach 
of the executioner, she would have thrown herself upon them, to cover 
and defend them ; and in vain would he have endeavored to pull her 
away, she would have been slaughtered upon their bodies. 

Finally, his argument : " And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, 
and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered 
for multitude." He had mentioned this before, Thou saidst, I will 
deal well with thee, and now he repeats it. It was a sweet morsel, and 
he rolls it under his tongue. It was a breast of consolation, and he 
sucks till he is satisfied. It shows us that promises do not supersede 
prayer. If God has engaged to do a thing, it will indeed be accom- 
plished, but in his own way, and he has ordained the means as well as 
the end. The promises furnish us both with matter and encourage- 
ment when we pray, and we cannot do better than to repeat them, and 
to plead them with God. This, says an old writer, is suing God upon 
his own bond. " Remember thy word unto thy servant, on which thou 
hast caused me to hope." 

FEBRUARY 5. 

•' That, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him." 1 Thess. 5 :10. 

How well does the apostle call the Redeemer "our life." There 
are three modes of expression by which our relation to him under this 
character is held forth, and they all furnish matter for the most impor- 
tant meditation. We are said to live by him: "He that eateth me, 
even he shall live by me." We are said to live to him : " They that 
live, should not live unto themselves, but unto him that died for them, 
and rose again." And we are said to live with him : " That, whether 
we wake or sleep, we should live together with him." 

To judge of this state, we must consider where he lives, and how he 
lives, and what he is, and how far he is able, by his presence, to bless 
us, and make us happy. For though our happiness, with such a nature 
as ours, must be social, it is not a privilege to live with every one. 
With some it would be a misery to dwell, even here ; and to have our 
" portion with the hypocrites and unbelievers," and to be with " the devil 
and his angels," will be a dreadful part of future torment. But 0, to 
unite with those who will be all loveliness ; to embrace, without any 
fear of separation, those who were endeared to us on earth ; to sit 
down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God ; to 



72 MORNING EXERCISES. 

join the innumerable company of angels ; but, above all, to live with 
Jesus ; to be with him, where he is, to behold his glory ; to walk 
with him in white ; to reign with him for ever and ever ! This is far 
better. 

The season for enjoying it is, " whether we wake," that is, live, or 
" whether we sleep," that is, die. It takes in, therefore, time and eternity, 
our living with him on earth and in heaven, in the communion of grace, 
and in the fellowship of glory. These are inseparably connected, and 
are essentially one and the same condition with regard to him, but they 
differ in degree, as the bud and the flower, the dawn and the day, the 
child and the man, differ. His people live with him now, but not as 
they will live with him hereafter. Now he is invisible ; then they will 
see him as he is. Now their intercourse with him is mediate, and often 
interrupted ; then it will be immediate, and free from any annoyance. 
Now they are with him in the wilderness ; then they will be with him 
in the land flowing with milk and honey. Now they groan, being bur- 
dened with infirmities, and cares and troubles ; then they will be pre- 
sented faultless before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy. 
Yet, whether they wake or sleep, they live together with him. 

And does not this more than indicate his divinity ? How else can 
they live with him now ? He is no more here, as to his bodily pres- 
ence, for the heavens have received him. Yet, where two or three are 
gathered together in his name, he is in the midst of them. Yet he said, 

DO' ' 

" Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Yet, says 
the apostle, we live with him even while we wake. At the same time, 
others live with him when they sleep. The dead are with him above, 
while the living are with him below. How, unless he pervades all 
periods — unless he occupies all places ? How, unless he can say, " Do 
not I fill heaven and earth ?" 

Here is your happiness, Christian. It. is your union with Christ. 
This prepares you for all seasons and all conditions. ( Do you think of 
life ? This is sometimes discouraging, especially when you contemplate 
the prospect in a moment of gloom. But why should you be dismayed ? 
If you wake, you will live together with him. If your continuance here 
be prolonged, you will not be alone. He will be always within your 
call. He will render every duty practicable, every trial supportable, 
every event profitable. And therefore, whatever be your circum- 
stances, you may boldly say, " Nevertheless I am continually with thee ; 
thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy 
counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." Do you think of death ? 
This is often distressing, and there is much in it to dismay, if viewed 
separate from him. But if you sleep, you will live together with him. 
Death, that severs every other bond, cannot touch the ligatures that 
unite you to him. As you leave others, you approach nearer to him, 
you get more perfectly into his presence — you are for ever with the 
Lord. 

Voltaire more than once says, in his Letters to Madame DufFand, 



FEBRUARY 6. 73 

" I hate life, and yet I am afraid to die." A Christian neither hates 
nor fears either of these. He is willing to abide, and he is ready to 
go. Life is his. Death is his. " Whether we wake or sleep, we shall 
live together with him." 



FEBRUARY 6. 

" And behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which 
was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these 
things which had happened. And it came to pass, that while they communed together 
and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them." Luke 24:13-15. 

The name of the one was Cleopas, of the other we are ignorant. 
We are also unacquainted with the design of their journey, but it be- 
trayed the imperfection of these disciples. For is it not astonishing, 
that they could leave Jerusalem before they had ascertained an event so 
interesting as his resurrection, especially as he had more than once as- 
sured them that he should rise again the third day ; and certain women, 
early at the sepulchre, had reported that the body was missing, and 
that they were informed by a vision of angels, that he was alive ; and 
also some from among themselves had gone to the grave, and found it 
even as they had said ? Yet they walk off into the country, in the 
midst of all this perplexity ! Such is our impatience ; such is our fear ; 
such is our despondency ! But he that believeth maketh not haste. 

Yet a drop is water, and a spark is fire, and a little grace is grace, 
and perfectly distinguishable from mere nature. And we have here not 
only infirmity, but excellency. Their minds cleave unto him still. 
They can talk about nothing else. 

And he joins them in the way. Let me not pass over this without 
remark. 

It shows the Saviour's kindness and tenderness. He does not de- 
spise the day of small things, nor cast off those who have a little 
strength. I know not what kind of person he had. But if he had not 
bodily beauty, in his mind he was fairer than the children of men. I 
am sure of his temper ; I can look into his heart : I see that it is made 
of love. " A bruised reed will he not break, and the smoking flax will 
he not quench ; but will bring forth judgment unto victory." 

It shows me the truth of the promise. " Where" — let it be where it 
will ; in the temple, the private dwelling, the field, the road : " where 
two or three " — if there are no more ; for, as he is not confined to place, 
so neither to number — " are gathered together in my name, there am I 
in the midst of them." 

I also learn, that the way to have him for our companion, is to make 
him our theme. No theme ought to be so dear, no theme can be so 
excellent, so profitable. 

Let worldly minds pursue the things of the world ; but let Chris- 
tians abundantly utter the memory of his great goodness, and mention 
the loving-kindness of the Lord. And then he will always be found 
of them. 



74 MORNING EXERCISES. 

" We ? 11 talk of all he did and said, 
And suffered for us, here below ; 
The path he marked for us to tread, 
And what he 's doing for us now. 

Thus, as the moments pass away, 
We '11 love, and wonder, and adore ; 

And hasten on the glorious day 

When we shall meet to part no more. 



FEBRUABY 7. 

" Take up thy bed, and walk." John 5:8. 

"We are too prone to overlook the circumstantial and incidental 
instruction of the sacred writers, forgetful that every word of God is 
pure, and that whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written 
for our learning. Let us not lose any of this hid treasure for want of 
observing, and applying what we read. 

Our Saviour met this man at the pool of Bethesda, but no sooner 
had he pronounced the word of healing, than he orders him to take up 
his bed and walk. We can see four reasons for this command : 

First, it was to evince the perfection of the cure. His walking, 
indeed, would prove this ; but his taking up his bed, and being able to 
carry that in which he had been carried, would display it still more, as 
it showed his strength as well as health. We often refer to miracles, 
and they are the witness of the Spirit. But the question is, were they 
true ? Never could any thing have been more remote from imposition, 
than the miracles recorded in the gospel. Examine them. They were 
many — they were public — they were performed before witnesses inter- 
ested in their detection, had they been false. The circumstances, too, 
were always corroborative. Does he raise the dead ? The young man 
was being carried to his burial, attended with much people. Lazarus 
was in his grave, and had been dead four days. Does he recover the 
infirm and the diseased ? The man whose eyes he opened was born 
blind. And this paralytic had been afflicted thirty-eight years, and in 
a moment he was made whole, and was seen by all going home with his 
bed upon his shoulders. 

Secondly, it was to teach him to be careful, and to waste nothing. 
The bed probably was not very valuable, but he was not to throw it 
away. In correspondence with this, after the miracle of the loaves and 
fishes, even then, when he had shown with what ease he could multiply 
resources, and support his creatures, he said, " Gather up the fragments 
that remain, that nothing be lost." Christians should avoid closeness 
and meanness, lest their good be evil spoken of. But there is another 
extreme they should be anxious to avoid : it is profusion, negligence, 
carelessness. They ought not to love money, but they should know the 
use and worth of it, and remember that they are responsible for all 
they have. How needy are many, and how ready would they be to 



FEBRUARY 8. 75 

call down the blessing of heaven upon you for a few mites ; for the 
remnants of your wardrobe ; for the refuse of your garden ; for the 
crumbs that fall from your table. Be examples of economy yourselves. 
Teach your children to be prodigal of nothing. You would dismiss a 
servant that purloined ; keep no one that wastes. How unfrugal often 
are the poor • how few of them seem to know how to make the most 
of any of their pittances. Let them be instructed personally and by 
tracts. 

Thirdly, as a memento of his deliverance and duty. When at home, 
and looking on his bed, he would say, " Ah, there I lay, a poor enfeebled 
creature, and said, My strength and my hope is perished from the 
Lord, remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and 
the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in 
me. This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope." It is a sad 
charge against Israel, that they soon forgot his works, and the wonders 
he had shown them. We are prone to the same evil, and need every 
assistance to aid recollection. Joseph and Moses made the very names 
of their children remembrancers. Samuel set up a stone, and called 
it Ebenezer. Some have set apart particular days. Some have kept 
diaries. 

Fourthly, to try his obedience. Carrying his bed was a servile 
work, and it was now the Sabbath, on which day no burden was to be 
borne. He seemed therefore to oppose the law of Moses, and accord- 
ingly the Pharisees were offended, and murmured. But works of neces- 
sity and mercy were always proper, and the Sabbath was made for man, 
and the Son of man was Lord even of the Sabbath-day. 

And it is pleasing to find that the man's mind was informed, while 
his body was cured. Hear him reasoning with the objectors. " He 
answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take 
up thy bed, and walk." How fine, how instructive is this ! We are 
not to judge the Lord's commands, but to follow them. His orders 
may be trying, and in obeying them we may give offence, but we need 
not regard the revilings of men, while we can plead his authority. It 
is our deliverer, our benefactor, who enjoins, and what has he said unto 
us ? He that died for us, and saved us from the wrath to come, what 
will he have me to do ? He that made me whole, the same says unto 
me, " If ye love me, keep my commandments." 



FEBRUARY 8. 
" And he was there in the prison." Gen. 39 : 20. 

Yet he was not there criminally, but under an imputation as false as 
it was infamous. How little can we judge of character from outward 
condition. At one time, the best people in this country were to be 
found at the stake, or in prison. But it is the cause, and not the cross, 
that makes the martyr. Let us see that, like Daniel, we are accused 



76 MORNING EXERCISES. 

only in the law of God, and resemble Paul, who suffered as an evil- 
doer, even unto bonds, but was so far from being one. Let us beware 
of drawing upon ourselves deserved reproach or persecution, by impru- 
dent or immoral conduct. " What glory is it, if, when ye are buffeted 
for your faults, ye take it patiently ?" 

11 And he was there in the prison." But he was not abne there. The 
Lord was with Joseph. He hath said, " I will never leave thee, nor for- 
sake thee." No situation can exclude God from access to his people, 
or keep them from intercourse with God. Jeremiah found him in the 
deep dungeon ; John, in the isle of Patmos ; and Paul, on the sea. His 
people sometimes wonder at this ; the experience is beyond their expec- 
tation, and they say, with Jacob, " Surely the Lord is in this place ; and 
I knew it not." Yet they might know it, especially if it be a scene of 
distress, for has he not said, " I will be with thee in trouble?" 

" And he was there in the prison." But he was not miserable there. 
All was peace within. His rejoicing was this, the testimony of his 
conscience. How much happier was he is this respect, than his vile 
mistress, who had knowingly belied him, and his brethren, who had 
cruelly sold him ; how galled often would they be by reflection and 
self-reproach. How much happier was he, the suffering slave, than 
Potiphar, his prosperous master — yea, than Pharaoh upon the throne ! 
Strange as it may seem, this prisoner, in this wretched confinement, was 
by far the happiest man in Egypt. But he had the presence of God. 
This presence makes the fulness of joy above ; and this presence here, 
turns a prison into a palace, into a temple. The world marvels to see 
how Christians are sustained and consoled in their afflictions, but the 
reason is, they cannot see all ; they can see their burdens, but not the 
everlasting arms underneath them ; they can see their sorrows, but not 
the comforts of the Holy Ghost shed abroad in their hearts. But they 
themselves know, that as the sufferings of Christ abound in them, the 
consolation also aboundeth by Christ. 

" And he was there in the prison." But he was not there in vain. 
He was a witness for the God of Israel, and the very manner of his 
suffering, his temper, his carriage, if he had said nothing, would have 
impressed all that beheld him. But he would also speak a word in 
season, and his addresses, enforced by his example, would carry weight 
with them. He taught the master of the prison, and his fellow-suffer- 
ers, and explained the dreams of the chief baker and butler, and thus 
raised wonder, and gained confidence, which he failed not to turn to 
advantage. There also he was himself at school, and gained much 
useful knowledge, while " the word of the Lord tried him." His tribu- 
lation wrought patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. 
In the prison he was prepared for the palace. By his adversity, he 
was made meet for prosperity. He could well say, " It is good for me 
that I have been afflicted." 

" And he was there in the prison." But he was not there always. 
Nothing could detain him when the word of the Lord came, and com- 



FEBRUARY 9. 77 

manded his deliverance. Till then, he relied on God's promise, but his 
confidence was sorely exercised. The event was not only delayed, but 
seemed to grow less probable, and the gloom thickened. But he found 
that it is good for a man not only to hope, but quietly wait for the 
salvation of the Lord. At length, and not a moment beyond his own 
appointed time, and not a moment beyond the best time, the Lord ap- 
peared, and from prison he steps into the second chariot in Egypt. 

Christians, the God you serve is continually able to deliver you. 
If you have his word, lay hold of it, and let it keep your mind in per- 
fect peace, being stayed on him. You have nothing to do with difficul- 
ties. Indeed, there are none where the truth of God is concerned. You 
believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth — he 
turneth the shadow of death into the morning. At evening time it shall 
be light. 



FEBRUARY 9. 

" My soul shall make her boast in the Lord : the humble shall hear thereof, and be 
glad." Psa. 34 : 2. 

We are prone to boast, and there is scarcely any thing that does 
not call forth the tendency. Some boast of their beauty ; some, of the 
multitude of their riches ; some, of their pedigree and rank ; some, of 
their genius, and learning, and knowledge. Some boast of their wick- 
edness, which is glorying in their shame. Some boast of their good- 
ness, when, too, they have none, for " there is a generation who are pure 
in their own eyes, and -are not washed from their filthiness." But they 
who have " the root of the matter " in them, have they any right to 
boast ? Is their religion derived from themselves ? Is it self-sustained? 
Is it perfect? Where is boasting, then? It is excluded. By what 
law ? The law of faith ; for " it is of faith, that it might be of grace." 
And this is its language : " God hath chosen the foolish things of the 
world to confound the wise ; and God hath chosen the weak things of 
the world to confound the things which are mighty ; and base things of 
the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and 
things which are not, to bring to naught things that are ; that no flesh 
should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who 
of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, 
and redemption : that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let 
him glory in the Lord." 

But here we see that we may glory in Him, though we are forbid- 
den to glory in creatures, or in ourselves. Accordingly David says, 
| My soul shall make her boast in the Lord." And there are moments 
and frames when, surveying him in his works and perfections and prom- 
ises, the believer can exult with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 

" What a Friend have I ! a tried, kind, almighty, everlasting Friend ; 
a Friend who loveth at all times, and has sworn that he will never leave 
me, nor forsake me. ' This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend, 



78 MORNING EXERCISES. 

daughters of Jerusalem.' What a Shepherd have I ! The Lord is my 
Shepherd ; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pas- 
tures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul : 
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness, for his name's sake. Yea, 
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no 
evil : for thou art with me ; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. 
What a God is mine ! The God of truth ; the God of all grace ; a 
God in covenant ; a God in Christ. This is my God for ever and ever ; 
he will be my guide even unto death. What a portion is mine ! The 
Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup : thou main tam- 
est my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places ; yea, I 
have a goodly heritage." 

But not only is included here the elevation of joyous feeling, arising 
from the view and possession of magnificent good, but also the breaking 
forth of gratitude and praise. The selfish and the proud dislike the 
thought of dependence, and wish every acquisition to be considered as 
of their own procuring ; " therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and 
burn incense unto their drag." But pious minds ever delight to own 
that they have nothing but what they have received. It is very painful 
to be under obligations to an enemy, but how pleasant is it to be in- 
debted to one we admire and love ! They who therefore supremely 
love their God and Saviour, make their boast in the Lord. They will 
hereafter cast their crowns before the throne, and their language now 
is, " By the grace of God, I am what I am." " In the Lord have I 
righteousness and strength." " I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my 
soul shall be joyful in my God ; for he hath clothed me with the gar- 
ments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, 
as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorn- 
eth herself with her jewels." 

David supposes that his doing this would be known. " The humble 
shall hear thereof." They would possibly hear it from others, for the 
godly have their observers, and are " men wondered at." They were 
likely to hear it from himself. Therefore says he, "0 magnify the 
Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, 
and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." " Come and 
hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my 
soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my 
tongue." Spiritual sadness seeks seclusion and concealment. Then, 
as the stricken deer leaves the herd, the man sitteth alone and keeps 
silence, because he has borne it upon him. Peter went out and wept 
bitterly. But spiritual freedom and joy soon discover themselves. 
Like the return of health, and of day, it says to the prisoners, Go 
forth ; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves. When Hannah 
was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore, it 
is said, she prayed in her heart ; only her lips moved, but her voice was 
not heard. But when she had succeeded, she broke forth into a song, 
and said, " My heart rejoiceth in the Lord ; my horn is exalted in the 



FEBRUARY 10. 79 

Lord ; my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies, because I rejoice in 
thy salvation." 

David also inferred the effect this knowledge would produce in 
them. "The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. 11 He could 
reckon upon this, from his own disposition, and from the connection 
there is between all the subjects of divine grace. They are all one in 
Christ Jesus. They belong to the same family ; they are parts of the 
same body ; and if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it ; 
and if one member be honored, all the members rejoice. They who 
have prayed for me, will not refuse to praise. " Bring my soul out of 
prison, that I may praise thy name : the righteous shall compass me 
about ; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me." What sight can be 
so gratifying to a good man, as to see a convert leaving the world and 
entering the church ; a backslider returning into the path of peace ; a 
believer walking worthy of the vocation wherewith he is called ; a dy- 
ing saint joyful in glory, and shouting aloud upon his bed ? They that 
fear thee, will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped in thy 
truth. 

The Lord's followers are supposed to be mopish and melancholy, 
but they have a thousand sources of joy which others know not of. 
How great is the pleasure they derive even from others. Indeed, they 
can often rejoice on the behalf of their brethren, when they fear things 
are not going on well with themselves. But what a proof is this feel- 
ing, that their heart is right with God. 

Envy is the rottenness of the bones, and the temper of the devil. 
To rejoice in another's good is Christian, angelical, divine. God is 
love. And he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. 



FEBRUARY 10. 

"Be sober." 1 Thess. 5:8. 

This stands opposed to bodily excess, and especially to drunken- 
ness. It is painful to think that it should be ever necessary even to 
mention such a subject among those who ever profess to be Christians. 
The Spartans presented to their children intoxicated slaves, that, seeing 
their beastly demeanor, they might detest the vice. Some pagan legis- 
lators inflicted a double punishment upon crimes committed in a state 
of drunkenness. Christian lawgivers and judges are not equally wise 
and just, for how scandalous is it to hear men in a court of justice allege 
their intoxication to extenuate, if not to justify their conduct ! Drunk- 
enness takes away the man, and leaves the brute. It dethrones reason. 
It covers the wretch with rags. It reduces his wife and children to 
want and beggary. It impairs appetite, produces trembling of the 
limbs, and such sinking of spirits as compels to the repetition of the 
offence ; so that, physically as well as morally, it is almost impossible to 
cure it. 

Let me therefore guard against it, and not only in the grossness, but 



80 MORNING EXERCISES. 

the guilt. Some professors of religion seem to think they are not 
chargeable with the sin, if they can keep their eyes open, and walk 
from the dining-room to the tea-table, not considering that every indul- 
gence beyond natural relief and refreshment is vicious, and that the 
Scripture peculiarly condemns those who, by gradual training, have 
made themselves strong to drink wine, and to mingle strong drink. 
Let me, therefore, beware of the encroaching degree. Let me put a 
knife to my throat if I am given to appetite. And instead of being 
filled with wine, wherein is excess, let me be filled with the Spirit. 

But the pure and holy religion of Jesus, when it says, " Be sober,' 7 
forbids much more than this vile and offensive practice. It enjoins 
temperance in all our appetites, desires, and affections. It extends even 
to business. As a man may be entangled, so he may be intoxicated 
with the affairs of this life ; and how often do the cares of the world, 
and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and it becometh un- 
fruitful. A Christian may be too mindful of earthly things, too alive to 
fame, too anxious to join house to house, and add field to field, and to 
load himself with thick clay. As a man inebriated is unfit for the du- 
ties of his station, and is obliged to be confined, so it is with those who 
set their affection on things below. They are unqualified for their high 
calling, and cannot walk as becometh the gospel. 

"Seekest thou great things unto thyself?" says Jeremiah unto Ba- 
ruch ; " seek them not." Let me reflect, in the light of Scripture and 
observation, on the vanity of worldly things ; their unsatisfactoriness 
in possession ; their perishing in the using ; the many and hurtful lusts 
to which they expose the owner ; and let my conversation be without 
covetousness, and let me be content with such things- as I have, for He 
hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 

Sleep is a natural and necessary refreshment. But we may be ex- 
cessive in this as well as in any other indulgence. And, alas, how often 
are we so, even to the injury of our health, as well as the waste of our 
time. 

Recreation is allowable and salutary. But we may exceed the 
bounds which the redemption of time, and the repairing and refitting 
us for duty, can only allow. 

Paul exhorts Timothy to be "sober-minded." How intemperate 
are some in their opinions; and opinions, especially in religion, that 
regard inferior truths, and subjects concerning which the understanding 
meets with the greatest difficulties. Some are eager and rash and pos- 
itive in all their judgments, and nothing is too absurd or ridiculous for 
their adoption. 

Again, let me hear the apostle : "I say to every man that is among 
you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think ; but to 
think soberly." Let him not overrate his station, his connections, his 
abilities, his usefulness, his performances. " If a man think himself to 
be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." 

Finally, let me not forget how obviously, as well as extensively, I am 



FEBRUARY 11. 81 

to discharge this obligation, nor lose sight for a moment of the argu- 
ment by which it is enforced : " Let your moderation be known unto 
all men." "The Lord is at hand." 



FEBRUARY 11. 

"The children of the day." 1 Thess. 5 : 5. 

Three distinctions may be here made. The first regards heathens : 
the second, Jews ; the third, Christians. 

Heathens are the children of night. With regard to them, darkness 
covered the earth, and gross darkness the people. What did they know 
of God ; of themselves ; of their origin ; their fall ; their recovery ; 
their duty? What did they know of a future state? A few of their 
philosophers spoke of the immortality of the soul, but none of them 
thought of the resurrection of the body, unless to turn it into ridicule. 
And what they expressed concerning the soul was but conjecture ; they 
could prove and establish nothing. And they held it in unrighteous- 
ness ; it had no influence over them as a motive, for, wanting the cer- 
tainty of a principle, it wanted the efficacy. And they kept it from 
the people at large, and employed no means to inform the multitude, 
who, as quite sufficient for them, were abandoned to every kind of 
superstition. 

Jews were all children of the dawn, an intermediate state between 
night and day ; better than the former, and very inferior to the latter. 
Hence the Saviour, alluding, not to the state of pagans, but to the dis- 
advantages of Judaism,- said to his disciples, "Many prophets and right- 
eous men have desired to see the things that ye see, and have not seen 
them." They had the law, which was given by Moses, but we have 
grace and truth, that came by Jesus Christ. They had the shadows : 
we have the substance. They had the types and the promises ; we the 
realization and the accomplishment. To them the Sun of righteousness 
was below the horizon ; on us he has risen with healing under his wings, 
God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us 
should not be made perfect. 

Christians are the children of the day. It is their privilege to have 
the system of revelation complete, and to be blessed with the full dis- 
pensation of the glorious gospel. They have the servants of the most 
high God, which show unto men the way of salvation. 

Every thing with us is made clear in proportion as it is important. 
And with regard to the acceptance of our persons with God, the reno- 
vation of our nature, our title to eternal life, our meetness for glory, 
our supplies of grace, and all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in 
Christ, the darkness is entirely passed, and the true light now shine th, 
and we are the children of the day. 

Therefore let us hail it with gratitude. And what thanks can ever 

equal the benefit ? A mud cottage, with the Scripture in it, is more 

ennobled, in the view of an angel, than the palace of the richest em- 
Mom. Exer. Q 



82 MORNING EXERCISES. 

peror upon earth. David would have descended from his throne, and 
have passed his days in a poor-house, to have enjoyed our advantages. 
Abraham, at the distance of near two thousand years, rejoiced to see 
our day, saw it, and was glad. 

Therefore let us receive it with joy. Nature shows off her beauties, 
the lambs play, the birds carol their notes — every thing seems to wel- 
come the approach of day. Truly light is sweet, and a pleasant thing 
it is for the eyes to behold the sum And shall the gospel, this day of 
good things, inspire us with dread and gloom? Is it not intended, is 
it not adapted to make even our spirits rejoice in God our Saviour? 
And was it not thus always regarded among the first Christians? 

Therefore we should improve it with diligence. The sun ariseth, 
and man goeth forth to his work, and to his labor, until the evening. 
The night is for inaction. They that sleep, sleep in the night ; and they 
that are drunken, are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the 
day, be sober. And knowing the time, let us cast off the works of 
darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Advantages infer obli- 
gations, and produce responsibility. Where much is given, much will 
be required. What do ye more than others ? asks the Saviour. And 
he has a right to ask. 

He also says, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while 
ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you. Blessed Jesus, pos- 
sess me with thine own Spirit ; and henceforth, repelling every interrup- 
tion, and crushing every indecision and delay, may I make thy purpose 
and zeal my own : " I must work the works of him that sent me while 
it is day ; the night cometh, wherein no man can work." 



FEBRUARY 12. 

" And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee ; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to 
encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes." Num. 10 : 31 

Such was the language of the Jewish leader to Hobab, the son of 
Eaguel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law. In whatever condition we 
are found, how numerous are our wants. We need food to nourish us, 
apparel to cover us, sleep to refresh us, friendship to succor us. We 
need the heart of one of our fellow-creatures, and the hand of another. 
One must be feet to us; another, eyes. Who is self-sufficient? Who, 
but under the delusion of pride and vanity, would ever affect indepen- 
dence? The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee. 
Nor, again, the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much 
more those members of the body which are feeble are necessary. 
Though above others in circumstances, we may be inferior to them in 
grace, or experience, or some particular attainment. David was supe- 
rior to Jonathan in divine things, yet " Jonathan went to David in the 
wood, and strengthened his hands in God." I long to see you, says 
Paul to the Romans, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, 
that ye may be established ; but they aided and confirmed him first, for 



FEBRUARY 12. 83 

they came down to meet him as far as Appii Forum and the Three Tav- 
erns ; and when he saw them, " he thanked God, and took courage." 

Here we see the advantage of society. A God of knowledge and 
truth has said, It is not good for man to be alone. If it was so with 
regard to a paradise, how much more with regard to a wilderness. 
Half the pleasure of solitude, it has been remarked, arises from our 
having a friend at hand to whom we can say, How delightful this 
retirement is. " Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart ; so doth the 
sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel." Why, but to encourage 
social devotion, did our Saviour say to his disciples, "If two of you 
shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall 
be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or 
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of 
them." Why did he send forth the seventy, two by two, in their mis- 
sion through Judea, but to comfort each other in distress ; to confer 
with each other in cases of perplexity ; to stimulate each other in cases 
of languor ; to check each other in cases of temptation ? " Two are 
better than one ; because they have good reward for their labor. For 
if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow : but woe to him that is alone 
when he falleth ; for he hath not another to help him up." 

Let none despond. As all are required to be useful, so all may be 
serviceable, if they will, and often far beyond the probability of their 
condition, or their own hope, for humility makes a good man modest in 
his expectations, as well as in his pretensions. 

We also see here, that confidence in God is not to lead us to disre- 
gard any advantages we can derive from ordinary resources. Moses 
had the engagement of God, and was even under a miraculous guidance ; 
yet he does not overlook the assistance he could derive from his father- 
in-law, as to his advice in difficulties, and those instructions which, from 
his knowledge of the wilderness, he could give him, with regard to par- 
ticular situations, and their conveniences or inconveniences. The re- 
ligion of the Bible is always a reasonable service. It does not keep a 
man's eyes upon the stars, while he falls over every stumbling-block in 
his way, but says to him, " Let thine eyes look right on, and thine eye- 
lids straight before thee : ponder the path of thy feet, that thy goings 
may be established." It places our dependence upon God, but that 
reliance is favorable to activity, and is the spring of it. In him we 
live, move, and have our being ; but this does not supersede eating and 
drinking. He teaches us, but we are to read and hear his word. He 
promises, but he will be inquired of for the performance. And none 
of the aids he affords us render needless the exercise of prudence, the 
exertion of our faculties, the offices of friendship, or the means of grace. 
"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." 



84 MORNING EXERCISES. 

FEBRUARY 13. 

" Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me ; for I am desolate and afflicted. The 
troubles of my heart are enlarged : bring thou me out of my distresses. Look upon 
mine affliction and my pain ; and forgive all my sins." Psa. 25 : 16-18. 

Sueely this book is addressed to the heart, and requires sensibility, 
rather than talent, to understand and explain it. How tender here is 
the language of David. And how instructive too. He was a sufferer, 
though a king, and a man eminently godly. And his sorrows were not 
superficial, but deep and depressing, " the sorrows of the heart. 77 And, 
while hoping for their diminution, they were " enlarged.' 7 

But he is a petitioner, as well as a sufferer ; and those sorrows will 
never injure us that bring us to God. Three things he prays for : 

First, deliverance. This we are allowed to desire, consistently with 
resignation to the divine will. But we must seek it, not from creatures, 
but from God, who has said, " Call upon me in the day of trouble, and 
I will deliver thee." Nothing is too hard for him ; he can turn the 
shadow of death into the morning. Therefore says David, " bring 
thou me out of my distresses." 

Secondly, notice. A kind look from God is desirable at any time, 
in any circumstances, but in affliction and pain, it is like life from the 
dead. Nothing cuts like the neglect of a friend in distress ; nothing 
soothes like his calls and inquiries, and sympathy and tears. But to 
say, Thou God seest me ; thou knowest all my walking through this 
great wilderness ; to be assured that he is attentive to my condition, 
and is smiling through the clouds, fills the heart, even in tribulation, 
with a peace that passeth all understanding. Therefore says David, 
" Look upon mine affliction and pain." 

Thirdly, pardon. He does not think himself sinless, and trials are 
apt to revive a sense of guilt, and to make the sufferer fearful, and to 
induce the prayer, " Do not condemn me. 77 We will also venture to 
say, that however a Christian may feel his sorrows, he will feel his sins 
much more. These, these are the burden and the grief. Therefore 
David says, " Forgive all my sins. 77 

This was his meaning, and I hope I can make it my own. If it be 
thy pleasure, release me from my complaint. If not, and the distress 
is continued to try me, be near to afford me a sensible manifestation of 
thy favor ; let me see thy countenance ; let me hear thy voice, saying, 
" I remember thee still. 77 Or. if this be denied, and I have no claim 
upon thee for such an indulgence, let me, for the Redeemer's sake, be 
absolved and justified. Remove my guilt, whatever becomes of my 
grief j grief then cannot be penal, cannot be injurious. 



FEBRUARY 14. 85 

FEBRUARY 14. 

"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." John 15 : 14. 

He does not say, ye are the subjects of my love, "but, "Ye are my 
friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." You may love an ani- 
mal, a slave, an enemy, but neither of these can be your friend, for 
friendship implies and requires what their condition does not admit. 
It is a remarkable expression that Moses employs, when he says, "If 
thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the 
wife of thy bosom, or thy friend who is as thine own soul." It seems 
to place a friend above all the relations of kindred ; and Solomon does 
not scruple to say, "There is a friend that sticketh closer than a 
brother." Friendship has always been deemed essential to the happi- 
ness of human beings, and, indeed, to their very honor ; for it would be 
thought as disgraceful, as it is disconsolate, not to have a friend. No 
peculiarity of condition, or elevation of rank, sets a man above the 
attraction and utility of friendship. Kings have laid aside their royal- 
ties to indulge in it, and Alexander would have found a conquered 
world a kind of desert without an Ephestion. 

It is needless to enlarge on the excellency and value of this blessing. 
Who is not ready to acknowledge that friendship is the delight of youth, 
the pillar of age, the bloom of prosperity, the charm of solitude, the solace 
of adversity, the best benefactor and comforter in this vale of tears ? But 
the question is, where a friend is to be found? It will be allowed that 
many who wear the name are unworthy of the title, and that even those 
who are sincere in their professions, may be chargeable with infirmities. 
Yet even human friendship is not an Utopian good. He who says, all 
men are liars, says it in his haste, or from a heart that judges of others 
by itself. They who complain most are commonly the most complained 
of. There is real friendship to be found on earth ; but there is better 
in heaven. And in our text we have the advantage in the highest of 
all examples. In others we may have the truth, and even the emi- 
nence of friendship, but in the Lord Jesus we have the perfection, the 
divinity of it. 

But what is necessary to our claiming it ? Ye are my friends, says 
he, "if ye do whatsoever I command you." By this he shows us, that 
though he is the friend, he is also the lawgiver. Under whatever char- 
acter he reveals himself, we are never to lose sight of the Sovereign. 
His goodness is to display his greatness, not to weaken it. He is the 
Prince as well as the Saviour. He "commands" his friends. And 
nothing less than obedience to his will is required of us. It is not 
enough to read it and hear it, and know it and talk of it, and profess 
it, we must "do" it. 

And our obedience must be impartial ; we must do " whatsoever " 
he commands us. Obedience may be sincere without being perfect in 
the degree, but it cannot be sincere without being universal in the 
principle and disposition. For if I do some things which he enjoins 



86 MORNING EXERCISES. 

me, and not others, it follows, that what I do, I do from some other 
motive than his authority, for this would lead me to observe all he en- 
joins. True obedience will not suffer me to select, any more than to 
dictate ; its only inquiry is, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" 
He who commands me to enter his gates with thanksgiving, tells me 
also to enter my closet. He who forbids me to steal, tells me to speak 
evil of no man. Can I say, with David, " I esteem all thy command- 
ments concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way ?" 

With regard to the connection, however, between this friendship 
and this obedience, let it not be supposed that it is a meritorious one, 
as if the practice deserved the privilege. This is impossible, and the 
notion subverts the gospel of Christ. Yet it is a certain connection, 
and as certain, both in its exclusion and inclusion, as the nature of 
things and the word of truth can make it. And it is an encouraging 
connection. Had the requisition turned on worldly honor, or wealth, 
or genius, or science, many must have despaired. But the essential is 
not derived from condition, but conduct. It is therefore within the 
reach of the poor as well as of the rich, and of the illiterate as well as 
the learned. All may be great in the sight of the Lord, and he is the 
greatest, whatever be his circumstances in life, who best obeys his Lord 
and Saviour. Mary was blessed in being his mother, but this was a 
privilege necessarily confined to one individual. He, therefore, when 
he heard the exclamation of the woman, Blessed be the womb that 
bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked, instantly mentions a 
way to a higher privilege, and which lies open to every one, "Yea, 
rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." 

Pray, therefore, " that my feet were directed to keep thy pre- 
cepts I" " Many will intreat the favor of the prince, and every one is a 
friend to him that giveth gifts." But when you seek the regards of the 
great, what base compliances are often necessary to please them, and 
you are never sure of succeeding ; and when you succeed, what have 
you gained ? But His work is honorable and glorious. If you seek, 
you are sure to find. And whoso findeth him, findeth life, and shall 
obtain favor of the Lord. However unobserved or neglected among 
men you may be, no one can pass your door, and say, " There dwells a 
friendless person." 

Lord Brooks was so charmed with that rare and accomplished per- 
sonage, Sir Philip Sydney, that he would have no other inscription on 
his tomb than this, "Here lies the friend of Sir Philip Sydney." 

Ah, says the Christian, I envy not those whose sepulchre will be 
adorned with the trophies of war, the pride of heraldry, or the renown 
of science. Let my humble grave tell, and tell truly, " Here lies the 
friend of Christ." 



FEBRUARY 15. 87 



FEBRUARY 15. 

"And all the people saw him walking and praising God: and they knew that it was 
he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple : and they were filled with won- 
der and amazement at that which had happened unto him." Acts 3 : 9, 10. 

His walking was a proof of the reality and perfection of the cure. 
His praising God was the proper improvement of it. 

But what an attestation was here to the divine mission of the apos- 
tles, and so to the truth of Christianity itself! We speak, said they, in 
his name who was crucified, and if you ask for a proof of it, we will act 
in his name. Bring forth your dumb, and we will give them speech ; 
your blind, and we will open their eyes ; your sick, and we will heal 
them ; your lame, and we will make them leap as a hart. This was 
evidence adapted to persons of every rank and capacity. It required 
no labored process of reasoning and eloquence. It was the broad seal 
of heaven, which all could see and understand. 

And there was nothing like artifice or collusion in these miracles. 
Take the case before us. The patient resided, not in a remote place, 
but in Jerusalem, that is, in the midst of the enemies of the apostles. 
He had been lame from his mother's womb. He was now upwards of 
forty years old. He was well known ; he was a beggar. Multitudes 
had seen him, many had relieved him, and many had handled him, for 
he was carried daily to the place of begging. And this was not an 
obscure corner, but the entrance into the temple. And the thing was 
not done in the night, but at nine o'clock in the morning, when there 
was a concourse of people. 

Put all this together, and then ask whether any thing could have 
been fairer ? Could any thing have been more open to detection, had 
there been any imposture? Compare such an achievement with the 
prodigies of heathenism, and the miracles of the Romish church. 

And see, also, what can equal the credulity of unbelievers. What is 
the faith of a Christian to their belief? Christians believe difficulties, 
because the truth of them is abundantly confirmed, but they admit im- 
probabilities and impossibilities. Their rejection of the gospel cannot 
arise from an intellectual, but a moral cause. They do not want evi- 
dence, but disposition ; they receive not the love of the truth, that they 
might be saved. Therefore, " how can they escape, if they neglect so 
great salvation ; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, 
and was confirmed unto them by those that heard him ; God also bear- 
ing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers mira- 
cles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will ?" 

Need I tremble for the cause of Christianity ? Need my reason be 
ashamed of my faith ? 

" Hence, and for ever, from my heart, 
I bid my doubts and fears depart ; 
And to those hands my soul resign, 
That bear credentials so divine." 



88 HORNING EXERCISES. 

FEBRUARY 16. 

" They serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." 
Dak. 3:12. 

The refusal of these three young men was as trying as it was noble. 
The resolution has immortalized them. Let us observe how much they 
had to overcome in adhering to it. 

They could plead authority. Here was the command of their sove- 
reign, and good men are to be good subjects. They honor principali- 
ties and powers, they obey magistrates, and are ready to every good 
work. But there is a difference between civil and spiritual claims. 
We are, indeed, to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, but 
we must also render unto God the things that are God's. If any being 
requires us to do what is opposed to the revealed will of God, we are 
prevented by an authority from which there can lie no appeal ; and we 
ought to obey God rather than man. Thus the midwives did not as the 
king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive : 
'•'And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made 
them houses." 

This conscientiousness, however, has often given the conduct of 
God's servants an appearance of insubordination and revolt, and their 
enemies have not failed to seize it, and turn it to their discredit. Jesus 
was not Caesar's friend, and stirred up the people. The apostles turned 
the world upside down. And doubtless Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- 
nego were censured and vilified for their disloyalty. 

They could plead obligation. Nebuchadnezzar was not only their 
sovereign, but their friend and benefactor. He had educated them in 
a princely manner, and advanced them to the most honorable charges. 
And nothing tries like tenderness. Benefits attract • and attach the 
heart, and good men are the most susceptible of grateful impressions. 
One of the most painful things in the world to an ingenuous mind, is 
to refuse the wishes of one who has done much for him, for there is 
nothing in which he would more delight, were he not restrained by 
principle. Suppose a dutiful child. He loves and honors his parents, 
and he ought to honor them. These parents, in other respects, are 
kind and good, but they are worldly, and require him to go into the 
dissipations of life ; they are irreligious, and forbid him to attend what, 
according to his conviction, is the truth of God, and, instead of threat- 
ening, they weep over him, and beseech him by every tender motive, 
not to break their hearts, nor bring down their gray hairs with sorrow 
to the grave. Now, to loosen from such embraces and entreaties, and 
act a part that looks like disrespect, at the hearing of a voice that cries, 
: ' He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me," 
here is a trial hardly supportable. And much of this these young men 
would feel, at the thought of the favors which had been heaped upon 
them. 

They could plead universality of compliance. All besides obey, and 



FEBRUARY 16. 89 

why should they stand alone, and affect to be better than every one 
else ? How often is this objection thrown out. Singularity for its own 
sake, argues a little and a vain mind : vain, because it seeks notice ; 
and little, because it can attain it in no better way. In things harm- 
less and indifferent, we may lawfully conform to the usages of the day 
and place wherein we live ; but where truth and duty and conscience 
are concerned, we must be steadfast and immovable, though deserted, 
opposed, ridiculed by all, and by unsought, but indispensable singularity, 
evince the purity of our motives, and the dignity of our principles. So 
did Abdiel : 

" Faithful found 

Among the faithless, faithful he 

Among innumerable false, unmoved, 

Unshaken, unseduced, unterrified ; 

His loyalty he kept, his love, his zeal. 

!N"or number, nor example, with him wrought 

To swerve from truth, or change his constant mind, 

Though single." 

So did Joshua and Caleb, and Lot and Noah. And all Christians are 
required not to be conformed to the world. And Jesus died to redeem 
and purify unto himself a peculiar people, and peculiar they must be 
while the multitude do evil. "Well, said these sufferers, if all yield, we 
must not, we will not, whatever be the consequence. 

And they could plead the dreadfulness of the penalty . We are often 
ready to justify or excuse our conduct by the pressure of circumstances, 
and to allege that the trial is too great for our virtue. And what is 
the trial? What are bur difficulties and perils in the path of duty? If 
we follow such a course — well, shall we be bound to the stake, or thrown 
into a den of lions, or a fiery furnace ? No. Shall we then be deprived 
of our liberty, and confined in a prison, or be stripped of our property, 
and reduced to beggary ? No such thing — blessed be the laws of this 
happy land. Behold our jeopardies and sacrifices ! We may lose a 
trifle of our profit by not selling or working on the Sabbath. We may 
have less to hoard by giving alms to the needy. If we follow our con- 
victions, we may lose the smile of a friend, or incur the sneer of a com- 
panion. By the redeeming our time, we may even be constrained to 
leave the bed of sloth a little earlier in the morning. These are our 
tribulations because of the word ! These are the martyrs of our day ! 
Ye professors of religion, who can exercise no self-denial, who can take 
up no cross, " If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied 
thee, then how canst thou contend with horses ? And if in the land of 
peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do 
in the swelling of Jordan ?" Look at these youths. What had they 
to lose ; what to suffer ? A fiery furnace before their eyes, into which 
they were to be instantly thrown ! 



90 MORNING EXERCISES. 

FEBRUARY 17. 

" Rejoice the soul of thy servant." Psa. 86 : 4. 

The queen of Sheba not only admired Solomon, but hailed his at- 
tendants. "Happy are thy men, and happy are these thy servants that 
stand continually before thee.' 7 What then is it to be a servant of the 
King of kings and Lord of lords ! 

A servant of God, however, is not one that only subserves his de- 
signs — this, by an overruling providence, all do, even the wicked them- 
selves — but one who, from conviction and disposition, resigns himself 
to his will, and holds himself at his disposal; one who always asks, 
"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" always prays, " Let the words 
of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, 
Lord, my strength and my redeemer." 

And can such a man as this want spiritual joy ? Yes ; even David 
himself, that eminent servant of God, prays, " Rejoice the soul of thy 
servant." We ask, If I am his, why am I thus ? We think our course 
of experience singular ; but while we complain, we are passing by the 
very landmarks which those who have gone before us have set up to 
tell us that we are right. Our state is one thing, our joy is another; 
the former remains always the same, the latter often varies. 

Our safety does not depend upon our knowledge, but our comfort is 
much affected by it, and sometimes a servant of God has but very im- 
perfect views of those glorious truths which make us "free indeed." 
Sometimes he may be depressed by his bodily frame and infirmities. 
Sometimes, too, he is under divine rebuke for sin, for this it is that sep- 
arates between God and the soul. We should therefore search and try 
our ways. Is there not a cause ? If the consolations of God are small 
with us, is there no secret thing with us? Is there no worm at the root 
of our withering gourd ? No Achan in the camp, the troubler of Is- 
rael? Joab besieges Abel, and threatens to destroy it. A woman 
cries out to him to know the cause. He answers, There is one Sheba, 
the son of Bichri, a traitor to the king. Cast him over the wall, and I 
will withdraw. And so it was. And thus, if we would have peace 
with God, we must sacrifice every usurper, saying, 

" The dearest idol I have known, 
Whate'er that idol be, 
Help me to tear it from thy throne, 
And worship only thee." 

But a servant of God will value what he may want. He prizes it, not 
only because God has commanded and promised it, but because he 
knows, from experience, that the joy of the Lord is his strength. He 
has seen how it once emboldened his profession and enlivened his zeal, 
and weaned his heart from the world, and revived him in the midst of 
trouble. He has tasted its sweetness. He can never lose the relish of 
it, and this excites him to pray. " Restore unto me the joy of thy sal- 
vation." 



FEBRUAKY 18 91 

For he is sure that God is alone the source and giver of it, and 
therefore to him he goes : " Rejoice the soul of thy servant." It is very 
desirable to see the morning after a dark night, and the spring after a 
cold, barren winter. But what makes the morning and the spring? 
Not all the lamps or fires in the world, but the sun. And the Lord 
God is the sun, as well as the shield of his people. All our light and 
life and bloom are from him, and in him is our fruit found. He is the 
God, not only of all grace, but of all comfort. 

It is he that comforts us in any of our common mercies, otherwise 
our sleep would not refresh us, nor our food nourish us, nor our friends 
cheer us. And what would the means of grace be, if he was not in 
them? God, says the apostle, comforted us by the coming of Titus — -not 
Titus, but God by Titus. Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but 
ministers by whom ye believed, even as God gave to every man ? Lu- 
ther says it is as easy to make a world, as to ease a troubled con- 
science. But 

" The troubled conscience knows thy voice : 

Thy cheering words awake our joys ; 

Thy words allay the stormy wind, 

And calm the surges of the mind." 



FEBRUARY 18. 

" Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey 
by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto 
you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established." Rom. 1 :10, 11. 

At this time Paul had not seen Rome. But how natural was it in 
a man of his taste and intelligence to wish to see it. Nothing had 
made such a figure in history as this imperial city. From a kind of 
village, it extended in a course of years till it became the mistress of 
the nations, and the metropolis of the world. How powerfully must 
curiosity have been awakened, by its extent, its majesty, its edifices, its 
institutions, its laws and customs. Paul was also a citizen, and while 
some, with a great ransom, purchased this privilege, he was free-born. 
Yet his longing to see it was not to indulge the man and the Roman, 
but the Christian and the apostle. He longed to impart to the beloved 
and called of God there some " spiritual benefit." 

But see the order of divine grace. Before he was useful to them, 
they imparted some spiritual benefit to him, and established his waver- 
ing confidence. For when he had landed at Puteoli, and advanced 
towards Rome, the brethren came to meet him as far as the Appii Forum 
and the Three Taverns, " whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and 
took courage." Here we see that the most eminent servants of God 
may be depressed and desponding, and that it is possible for them to 
derive assistance and comfort from those who are much inferior to them 
in office, condition, abilities, and grace. There is no such thing as 
independence. Let none be proud ; let none despair. The Christian 



92 MORNING EXERCISES. 

church is a body, and the body is not one member, but many. " If the 
foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body ; is it 
therefore not of the body ?" The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no 
need of thee, nor the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 

But how was this prosperous journey according to the will of God, 
for which he made so many requests, accomplished ? How little did he 
imagine the way in which he was to visit this famous city. He enters it 
indeed, but in the character of a prisoner, driven thither by persecution, 
and after being shipwrecked upon a certain island. So high are God's 
thoughts above our thoughts, and his ways above our ways. So little 
do we know what we pray for. So often by strange, and sometimes by 
terrible things in righteousness, does he answer us as the God of our 
salvation. So fulfils he the promise, "I will bring the blind by a way 
that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not 
known : I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things 
straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them." 



FEBRUARY 19. 

" And when he thought thereon, he wept." Mark 14 : 72. 

Doddridge supposes that this is intended to express not only the 
immediate sensibility of Peter, but his feeling through life, and that he 
always wept at the thought of his vile and ungrateful conduct. His sin 
was certainly very aggravated ; and, with all his failings, he was a man 
of very tender affections and great ingenuousness. 

But sorrow arising from such a source is not peculiar to our apostle. 
All the people of God should feel a penitent disposition at the review 
of their sin. 

And who, when they look back, can be at a loss for materials of 
self-accusation and contrition ? There are the sins of our unregenerate 
condition. There are the sins we have been capable of since we have 
been called to the knowledge of the truth. All these we are to judge 
of, not by their grossness, but by their guilt. In the number of our sins, 
we are to rank our omissions of duty, our non-improvement of our time 
and talents, the defectiveness of our aims and motives, and the depar- 
tures of our heart in love and confidence from the blessed God. 

Some would prevent the effect of such self-inspections, by the notion 
that there is no evil in the sins of God's people. But their sins are 
worse than those of others, by reason of the nearer relations in which, 
and the greater obligations under which they are committed. They 
have also, in sinning, greater difficulties to overcome. They have not 
only to sin against greater love, but greater light ; and they have been 
convinced of the evil and bitterness of sin, and have had a wounded 
spirit which they could not bear. Their sins, also, are more injurious 
with regard to others : distressing the strong, stumbling the weak, con- 
firming the prejudiced, hardening the wicked, causing the enemies of 
the Lord to blaspheme, and the way of truth to be evil spoken of. And 



FEBRUARY 20. 93 

is all this nothing ? Did Micah think so ? Who, says he, is a God 
like unto him, who passeth by even the transgression of the remnant of 
his heritage ? 

But suppose the Christian is led to see that his standing is secure, 
and that God is pacified towards him. Will he weep then ? Yes ; he 
will weep the more. The goodness of God will lead him to repent- 
ance, and he will sorrow after a godly sort, like a dying saint, who 
being asked why he wept, answered, I weep, not that my sins may be 
pardoned, but because I hope they are pardoned. 

Let us, then, never be ashamed or afraid of such tears as Peter 
shed. Nothing is so becoming and reasonable. Other grief may be ex- 
cused, but this can be justified. Other sorrow may render us amiable in 
the eyes of our fellow-creatures, but this is extolled of God : " The sacri- 
fices of God are a broken spirit : a broken and a contrite heart, God, 
thou wilt not despise." This brings us within the reach of the prom- 
ises : " They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy." "Blessed are they 
that mourn, for they shall be comforted." It is not easy, or perhaps 
possible, to make others comprehend this, but there is a pleasure even 
in the frame itself; and they who are the subjects of it well know that 
their happiest moments are their most tender ones, and, with Augus- 
tine, they can bless God for the "grace of tears." Here is a proof of 
our being under the renewing of the Holy Ghost. If the heart of stone 
was not taken away, how could I feel and grieve? And if there was 
nothing in me but nature, how could I feel and grieve for sin? There 
is nothing more useful in the divine life than this disposition. It en- 
dears the Saviour and- his atonement, and his righteousness, and his 
intercession, and his grace. It makes me cautious and circumspect : in 
this temper of mind I cannot expose myself to temptation, or trifle with 
sin, but be always watchful and prayerful. Blessed is the man that 
feareth alwavs. 



FEBRUARY 20. 

"Ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall." Mal. 4 : 2. 

They were before in darkness and disease, both of which confine. 
But the Sun of righteousness arises, and with healing under his wings ; 
and thus, the true light now shining, and health being restored, they 
become free and active — they go forth, and grow up as calves of the 
stall. 

For even now they have not attained, they are not already perfect. 
Nor are they to remain what they are, but to increase with all the in- 
crease of God. Some tell us there is no growth in grace ; as if Chris- 
tians could not be more wise, more humble, more patient, more zealous 
than they are ; as if Paul's commendation of the Thessalonians was a 
falsehood, when he told them that their faith grew exceedingly, and the 
charity of every one of them towards each other abounded ; as if Peter 
enjoined an absurdity when he admonished Christians to grow in grace, 



U MORNING EXERCISES. 

and in the knowledge of their Lord and Saviour ; as if God himself 
mocked or trifled when he said, " The righteous shall hold on his way ; 
and he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger." 

We are not to deny what God has done for our souls. Yea, we 
ought to be thankful, if we have only light enough to see our darkness, 
and feeling enough to be sensible of our hardness. 
" Cold as I feel this heart of mine, 
Yet, since I feel it so, 
It yields some hope of life divine 
Within, however low." 

But though we must not despise the day of small things, we are not to 
be satisfied with it. A day of greater things is attainable, and if we 
do not aspire after it, we have reason to suspect even the reality of our 
religion. Spiritual principles may be weak, but if they are divine, they 
will evince it by a tendency to growth. 

The sacred writers express this progression by every kind of 
growth. By human growth : we read of babes, little children, young 
men, and those of full age, who have their senses exercised, by reason 
of use, to discern both good and evil. By vegetable growth : thus we 
read, first the blade, then the ear, and after that the full corn in the 
ear; they shall spring as among the grass, as willows by the water- 
courses; they shall grow as the lily, they shall grow as the vine. 
Here we have animal growth : they shall grow up as calves of the stall. 
No creatures perhaps increase so rapidly and : observedly as these, es- 
pecially when, as here, they are well attended and fed, and for the very 
purpose of fattening. 

We have sometimes been reminded of the truth of this image by the 
spiritual reality. We have seen those who, in a little time, have sur- 
prised all around them by their progress in the divine life ; so clear 
and full have been their views of the things of God ; so established 
have their hearts been with grace ; so simply and entirely have they 
depended upon the Saviour ; so decided have they been in their separa- 
tion from the spirit of the world, and yet so concerned to be useful 
in it; so spiritual have they been in their conversation, and yet so 
free from all religious grimace and affectation ; so ready have they 
been to do good and communicate in the cause of the poor and the 
cause of Christ; such a living sacrifice have they presented in their 
bodies and spirits ; so have they adorned the doctrine of God our Sav- 
iour in all things. 

But, alas, as to many of us, we have reason to exclaim, " My lean- 
ness, my leanness !" How little progress have we made in religious 
knowledge, experience, practice, and usefulness, though we have pos- 
sessed every advantage, and long enjoyed the means of grace. After 
all the discipline of his family, the instructions of his word, the ordi- 
nances of his house, how dull are our ears of hearing ; how slow of 
heart are we to believe ; how much do our souls cleave unto the dust ; 
how affected are we with the things of time and sense ; and how little 



FEBRUARY 21. 95 

actuated are we by the powers of a world to come. At present the 
comparison reproves us. 

But let it also excite and encourage. It not only reminds us of our 
duty, but of our privilege. This growth is not only commanded, but 
promised ; it is therefore attainable. And we know the way to our 
resources. Jesus came, not only that we might have life, but have it 
more abundantly. " He giveth power to the faint ; and to them that 
have no might, he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and 
be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall : but they that wait 
upon the Lord shall renew their strength ; they shall mount up with 
wings as eagles ; they shall run, and not be weary ; and they shall 
walk, and not faint." 



FEBRUARY 21. 

'•'And the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way." Num. 21 : 4. 

The people of God are held forth under various characters in the 
Scriptures, and no one of them all is more common, more just, more 
pleasing, more instructive, than the image of strangers and pilgrims 
upon earth. And who knows not what a beautiful use Bunyan has 
made of it ? 

But what is there in the way to discourage the soul of the travel- 
lers heavenward ? Much. Sometimes they are affected by the length 
of the way ; for hope deferred maketh the heart sick. This was the 
case with Israel at this time ; for instead of passing through the land 
of Edom, they had to fetch a compass all around the borders, and all 
this in a wilderness too, and under a burning sky. If a traveller, after 
supposing he was near his journey's end, was to learn that it was yet 
many miles off, all worn and weary, his heart would be ready to faint, 
and utter the cry of despondence, "I shall never reach it!" What 
Isaiah says, " They shall behold the land that is very far off," may be 
applied to the experience of Christians with regard to heaven. It is 
often remote in fact, that is, it is frequently long before they arrive 
there ; for they are not removed hence as soon as they are converted, 
but detained here to be made meet for their destination, to honor their 
Redeemer, and to serve their generation. Hence many of them are 
longer on earth after they are called by grace, than the Jews wandered 
in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. But we refer to the slowness 
of their progress, the smallness of their attainments, and the nature of 
their apprehensions. " Once," says the soul, " I was ready to seize the 
blessing ; but now it seems to recede as I advance, yea, the distance 
between me and the attainment seems to increase daily." " How long 
wilt thou forget me, Lord; for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy 
face from me ?" How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sor- 
row in my heart daily ? " My soul waiteth for the Lord more than 
they that watch for the morning." " Oh, when will it dawn ; when 
wilt thou come unto me?" 



96 MORXIXG EXERCISES. 

Sometimes they are discouraged because of the way, owing to the 
enemies that infest it. In the rebuilding of the second temple, we are 
told that every man with one hand wrought in the work, and with the 
other held a weapon : this was sore labor. And the Christian's life is 
a warfare, as well as a pilgrimage ; he moves on, bearing his sword, as 
well as his staff. Now, to walk and fight too, and to contend every 
step of the way, and with adversaries possessing every thing to render 
them formidable ; and as soon as one is vanquished, to see another rising 
up — this is arduous and trying. And what wonder, if when without are 
fightings, within are fears ? 

Then the way shows many that are turning back in it, and this is 
often discouraging. "We had heard of their setting off. Some of them 
had passed us near enough to be observed. They soon left us, seeming 
to surpass us, not only in gifts, but grace : and we not only hailed, but 
envied them. How wonderful and grievous to see them returning — 
vicious, or infidel, or lovers of this present world. We instantly remem- 
ber, and apply to them the awful declaration, " If any man draw back, 
my soul shall have no pleasure in him." But who can help thinking of 
himself? And what am I? And may not I also prove a castaway ? 

Besides, these revolters never come back silent. They solicit us to 
return too. They assure us the way is impassable. They have tried 
it, and hope their experience will make us wise. Once they thought 
certain notions to be erroneous, and certain indulgences to be sinful ; 
but they are more enlightened and liberal now. Such persons, too, 
never subside into neutrals. From friends they necessarily become ene- 
mies. They persecute, if it lies in their power. They always reproach 
and vilify, even in their own defence — defaming the party and the cause 
to justify their secession from them. 

It is often discouraging, also, to find the way so narrow : " Xarrow 
is the way that leadeth unto life.'"" The difficulty, therefore, of getting 
on is great. A way is made narrow by the near approximation of the 
sides, whether walls, ditches, or hedges, so that we have to press through ; 
and can hardly do it without some injury on the right hand or on the 
left. In the exercise of every grace, and the performance of every 
duty, a Christian has to keep between two extremes. As to the use of 
the means of grace, he must neither neglect them nor idolize them. As 
to connections and relations in life, he may sin by not loving them 
enough, or by loving them too much. Courage lies between rashness 
and fear ; and frugality, between profusion and niggardliness ; and con- 
fidence, between presumption and despondency ; and patience, between 
despising the chastening of the Lord, and fainting when we are rebuked 
of him. And is it easy always to go, not only in the way of righteous- 
ness, but in the midst of the paths of judgment ? 

So far, generally, of the road. But there are particular spots that 
are peculiarly trying : such as the slough of Despond, the valley of 
Humiliation, the hill Difficulty with the lions, and the deep cold river to 
be waded through, before the shining city can be entered. A Christian 



FEBRUARY 22. 97 

knows what all this means, and sometimes finds it hard to believe that 
the way to glory lies through it all. 

Am I then setting out for the heavenly world ? Let me not prepare 
myself for surprise and disappointment, by expecting that every thing 
will be smooth and flowery and delightful. I cannot, indeed, look for 
too much from the promises of God, they are so exceeding great and 
precious ; but I must look for it in God's own order. I must deny my- 
self, and take up my cross. I must not be slothful, but be a follower of 
them who, through faith and patience, have reached the prize of their 
high calling. 

Have I professed, and hoped that I am a Christian ? Let me not 
conclude that I have no part nor lot in the matter, because my soul is 
sometimes cast down and disquieted within me. Have not those who 
have gone before me wept and groaned also ? Are not the subjects of 
divine grace represented by their fear, as well as their confidence ; by 
their sorrow, as well as their joy? 

Yet let me endeavor to go on rejoicing. Let me remember that 
there is much to encourage me because of the way : an unerring 
guide — an almighty guard — companions — strength to hold on, refresh- 
ments along the road ; and the end of it perfect rest and peace and 
glory and joy. 

FEBRUARY 22. 

"Ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water." 
Exod. 23:25. 

Our chief concern 'should be to secure those blessings which will 
supply the soul and endure for ever. He only is truly blessed who is 
blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Our 
Saviour therefore says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his 
righteousness ;" yet he does not scruple to say, "and all these things shall 
be added unto you." Temporal benefits are not beneath the attention 
of our kind Father. He knoweth that we have need of these things 
before we ask him. He knoweth our frame, and he knoweth our fears. 
And not only under the law, but under the gospel, godliness is profita- 
ble unto all things ; and has promises of the life that now is, as well as 
of that which is to come. 

The promise before us extends to all the temporal support of his 
people ; but there is wisdom in the language. In another place it is 
also said, "Thy bread shall be given thee, and thy water shall be sure.' 7 
Is not the specification designed to check not only anxiety, but ambi- 
tion and avarice ? Does it not say, " Seekest thou great things for thy- 
self? Seek them not." " Let your conversation be without covetous- 
ness, and be content with such things as ye have." 

Nothing can do us good without the blessing of God ; but his bless- 
ing commands what it announces ; and what he blesses, is blessed. 
Hence " a little that a righteous man hath is ./better than the riches of 
many wicked." It is more efficient. It goes further ; as Philip Henry 



98 MORNING EXERCISES. 

was wont to say to his family, "My dear children, the grace of God 
will make a little go a great way." It is surprising to see with what a 
slender income many Christians keep up a decent appearance, owing no 
man any thing, and even giving to him that needeth. The thing is, 
" The secret of the Lord is upon their tabernacle." 

But while he blesses " the habitation of the just," his curse " is in 
the house of the wicked." And then nothing prospers. They seem a 
wonder to themselves and others. They get much and gain nothing. 
So it was with the selfish and illiberal Jews when they came back from 
Babylon, and built their own ceiled houses, while the house of God lay 
waste. Had they minded his affairs, he would have minded theirs, and 
have proved that we cannot serve God for naught. But now, says God, 
" Ye have sown much, and bring in little ; ye eat, but ye have not 
enough ; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink ; ye clothe you, but 
there is none warm ; and he that earneth wages, earneth wages to put 
it into a bag with holes." 

It is also more satisfying; for the state of the mind conduces to the 
relish of every outward comfort ; and in the Christian this state of mind 
is grateful and peaceful and cheerful, arising from a hope of reconcilia- 
tion with God. His frown would darken a thousand suns. But every 
thing smiles when he smiles. 

"How sweet our daily comforts prove, 
When they are seasoned with his love." 

And we see the dear medium through which they come as covenant 

blessings : 

"He sunk beneath our heavy woes, 
To raise us to his throne : 
There 's not a gift his hand bestows, 
But cost his heart a groan." 

The wicked feast without fear. But there is reason enough why 
they should fear. Neglecting the service of God, they are strangers to 
his blessing. Left to themselves, every advantage and indulgence oper- 
ating upon their depravity, contributes to their guilt and misery. Their 
table becomes a snare, and that which should have proved for their 
welfare becomes a trap. The prosperity of fools destroys them. Now 
consider this, ye that forget God, and without delay seek to be num- 
bered with the seed which the Lord hath blessed. 



FEBRUARY 23. 

'• Let him know, that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way 
save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." James 5 :20. 

And can we convert the sinner from the error of his way ? Yes ; or 
the language would be futile. But how can we do this ? Not merito- 
riously : this would invade the office and glory of the Lord Jesus ; for 
he only delivers us from the wrath to come— he only saves his people 
from their sins. Not efficiently : this would invade the work and honor 



FEBRUARY 23. 99 

of the Holy Spirit ; for we are saved by the washing of regeneration, 
and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. There is, therefore, only one 
way in which we can convert a sinner, and that is instrumentally. But 
this does not detract from divine agency ; there is no inconsistency 
between agency and instrumentality. A pen is nothing without a hand 
to use it. An instrument always supposes and requires an agent. 

But is the converse of this proposition true? Does an agent always 
require an instrument? It is so with us, but not with a Being whose 
will is efficiency ; and who said. Let there be light, and there was light. 
Yet what God is not compelled to do from weakness, he chooses to do 
from wisdom. He therefore works by means. We know of nothing 
that he does immediately. He fans us by the breeze, and warms us by 
the sun, and refreshes us by sleep, and sustains us by food. And as it 
is in nature, so it is in grace. Among the Corinthians, God gave the 
increase ; but Paul planted and Apollos watered. Their faith came 
not from them, but Paul and Apollos were ministers by whom they be- 
lieved. We mean not, however, by this reference, to confine this work 
to ministers. James alludes not only or chiefly to them, but to Chris- 
tians at large. All may be useful here, and in a thousand ways exert 
themselves to accomplish this blessed and glorious design. 

For he who effects it is the greatest of all benefactors; for "he 
saves a soul from death, and hides a multitude of sins !" And what is 
every other achievement compared With this? Nothing, less than noth- 
ing, and vanity. So will all those judge who walk by faith, and believe 
the testimony of God concerning the value of the soul, the dreadfulness 
of eternal death, and the absolute necessity of forgiveness, in order to 
the man's escape from the damnation of hell. 

The work therefore is its own reward. Spurious beneficence always 
wishes to excite notice ; and the man in some way or other aims, or he 
will do nothing, to make it conducive to his own interest. But true 
charity seeketh not its own, but the welfare of the object ; and if that 
end be answered, the benefactor is satisfied. James knew this ; and 
mentions nothing else by way of motive but the thing itself. He does 
not tell his brethren, that if they convert a sinner they shall be ap- 
plauded here, or recompensed at the resurrection of the just. It is 
true that they will derive honor and advantage from their usefulness. 
They that water, shall be watered also. The sinners they save will pray 
for them, and if they die first, when they fail, will receive them into ever- 
lasting habitations ; and in the day of the Lord Jesus they will be their 
joy and crown. But this is the effect, and not the principle of their 
zeal. It is enough if they succeed — enough if they can save a soul from 
death, and hide a multitude of sins. 

And the prospect of success in such a case, however limited, should 
be sufficient to animate us. Some may be privileged to bless numbers. 
But James speaks of "the sinner," and "a soul." This agrees with the 
language of our Lord, who tells us, " There is joy in the presence of the 
angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." This brings the encour- 



100 MORNING EXERCISES. 

ageraent home to all. All cannot be Luthers, to reform countries ; or 
Whitefields, to preach to thousands ; or Careys, to translate the Scrip- 
tures into other tongues. But can we do nothing? Surely some one 
soul is thrown in our way to whom we may be useful ; a child, a ser- 
vant, a relative, a neighbor. 

James would have us think of this, and think much of it. "Let him 
know, that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall 
save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." And who 
does not know this? Yea, were we to judge from their practice, we 
should be ready to ask, Who does know it? What is the knowledge 
that answers no end? It is not enough to believe : we must remember 
and reflect ; we must follow out our convictions. This fine sentiment 
must be present to the mind at all times, and in all conditions ; when 
we are alone, and when we are in company ; when we pray, and when 
we speak ; when we sit in our house, and when we walk by the way, 
and when we lie down, and when we rise up ; we must bind it as a sign 
upon our hand, and wear it as a frontlet between our eyes, and write it 
upon the posts of our door and upon our gates : " Let him know, that 
he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul 
from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." 



FEBRITARY 24. 

"They shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land." Zech. 
9:16. 

Here we see the dignity of the Lord's people. They are " stones," 
precious stones, set in the "crown" of the King of kings. For such is 
the infinite goodness of Gk>d, that he not only spares, but pardons and 
justifies them. In his righteousness they are exalted. They are not 
only saved, but ennobled. With kings are they upon the throne. They 
are naturally in a low estate, and are viler than the earth ; but he 
raiseth the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the 
dunghill. And though the world knoweth them not, and they are little 
and low in their own eyes, and it doth not yet appear what they shall 
be, yet now are they the sons of God ; and since they have been pre- 
cious in his sight, they have been honorable ; and he calls them his jew- 
els, and a peculiar treasure unto him. And all those who in his light 
see light, view them in the same way. They remember the time when 
they began to honor them that fear the Lord ; when they took hold of 
the skirt of him that is a Jew ; when they prayed to see the good of 
his chosen. Then they seemed to regard them as more than human 
beings ; and while, above all things, they desired communion with them, 
they felt unworthy of their presence and notice. And though, since 
then, they have found that they are not already perfect, yet they know 
that they are the excellent of the earth, and that they are more excel- 
lent than their neighbors. There is often more real virtue in their fail- 



FEBRUARY 25. 101 

ings than in the very devotions of others : " the gleaning of the grapes 
of Ephraim is better than the vintage of Abi-ezer." 

Here is also their exhibition ; these stones of a crown are " lifted up." 
They are not to be concealed. Our Saviour compares them to a city 
set, not in a valley, but on a hill which cannot be hid ; and to a candle 
placed, not under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that it may give light 
to all that are in the house. And when he calls them by his grace, he 
says to the " prisoners," " Go forth ; and to them that are in dark- 
ness, Show yourselves : they shall feed in the ways, and their pasture 
shall be on all high places." Christians need not be concealed ; every 
thing in their religion will bear examination, and challenges the eye of 
all, whether infidels, philosophers, politicians, or moralists. They ought 
not to be concealed ; every thing in their religion is adapted to do 
good, but for this purpose it must be known. They cannot be con- 
cealed ; their principles must operate ; the sun cannot shine without 
showing itself. Here is also their utility ; these stones of a crown are 
to be lifted up " as an ensign upon his land." An oriflamme suspended 
over the royal tent ; and designed to attract and aggregate followers 
to the cause in which he is engaged. Thus the Saviour himself is spo- 
ken of : " In that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand 
for an ensign of the people ; to it shall the Gentiles seek ; and his rest 
shall be glorious." But what Christ is, Christians are, subordinately 
indeed, yet really. Hence their calling, to hold forth the word of life. 
They are placed and displayed to reprove and convince, and excite and 
encourage others to seek and serve God. They are witnesses for him. 
They are trophies of the power and greatness and riches of his grace. 
They proclaim what he is able and willing to do. And saved by him, 
they are all employed for him ; and " whether they eat or drink, or 
whatever they do, they do all to the glory of God." 



FEBRUARY 25. 

" Salute Philologus, and Julia, Nereus, and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints 
which are with them." Rom. 16 :15. 

Admitting that the Bible be the word of God, we might have in- 
ferred, from his wisdom and goodness, that no part of it can be use- 
less. But we are expressly assured that " all Scripture is profitable for 
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." 
Therefore this long postscript, this catalogue of particular salutations, 
has its uses. 

It certainly shows us the principle that actuated the first Chris- 
tians—all men were to know that they were the disciples of Christ by 
their loving one another. 

It shows, also, how mistaken they are who think the New Testament 
does not sanction private friendship. 

It also proves how impossible it was to forge this epistle, abounding 



102 MORNING EXERCISES. 

as it does with so many specific allusions : for these not only render 
detection possible, but easy. Hence Paley much avails himself of 
this chapter in his Horas Paulina? ; a work of uncommon excellence, 
and which deals only in the argument derivable from incidental evi- 
dence. 

Neither is it improper to observe from it the error of Popery. Pa- 
pists say that Peter was the bishop of Rome. But had he been there, 
is it credible for a moment that he would have been overlooked by our 
apostle ? The probability indeed is, that he never was there. There 
is no evidence of it in the Scripture ; and we know for what purposes 
of delusion it has been pretended — the Roman succession of bishops 
from him. 

But who can help observing how many females are mentioned here? 
Phebe, Priscilla, Mary, Junia, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, the mother 
of Rufus, Julia, the sister of Nereus. All these, with the exception of 
two, are not only mentioned, but commended ; and these two would not 
have been saluted by name unless they had been persons of religious 
excellence, for Paul valued no other qualities compared with this. But 
all the rest of these worthies have ascribed to them some attainment or 
service " in the Lord." 

Let not therefore females suppose that they are cut off from useful- 
ness, and usefulness even in the cause of Christ. The most eminent 
servants of God have acknowledged their obligations to them, and 
ascribe no little of their success to their care and kindness. The public 
ministry is not indeed open to them, neither is the army, or navy, or the 
senate ; and good sense will acquiesce in the distinctions and determi- 
nations of heaven, especially when it is seen that they are not founded 
on any principle of degradation, but in the obvious proprieties of life. 
If they have not authority, they have influence, which is far better 
and more deeply effective. Servants have blessed God for pious mis- 
tresses. Children have been prepared for the preaching of the word, 
and the devotion of the sanctuary, by the earlier but important efforts 
of a mother. How much does even the religious public owe to the 
mothers of Newton and Cecil, and a thousand more, from whom the 
churches have derived such able ministers. To Hannah we owe a 
Samuel, and to Lois and Eunice, his mother and grandmother, we owe a 
Timothy. 

They are at home in almsdeeds, like Dorcas, who made garments for 
the poor ; and are peculiarly adapted to visit the sick and the afflicted. 
The wife may win the irreligious husband without the word, and fan 
his devotion and give speed to his zeal when he is in the way everlast- 
ing. Who would keep them from those public meetings where feelings 
are to be excited, which they will be sure to carry away and improve 
at home? In a word, women have the finest heads and hearts and 
hands and tongues for usefulness in the world. "Who does not wish to 
see them always under a religious principle? Who would not have 
them, appropriately, more encouraged and employed as workers together 



FEBRUARY 26. 103 

with the servants of Christ? "Help," therefore says the apostle, "those 
women that labored with me in the gospel, whose names are in the book 
of life." 



FEBRUARY 26. 

"When he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it." Luke 19 :41. 

An ordinary mind would have been engrossed and elated by the 
actions and acclamations of the multitude, who cut down branches from 
the trees and strewed them in the way, and spread their garments on 
the ground for him to ride upon, and filled the air with hosannas, cry- 
ing, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. But he wept, 
wept at the sight of Jerusalem, whose visitation was now closing and 
whose judgment was hastening on, saying, " that thou hadst known, 
even thou, at least in this thy day, the things that belong to thy peace ! 
but now are they hid from thine eyes." 

Surely these tears teach us that there is nothing degrading in sen- 
sibility. Indeed, all true greatness is tender and sympathetic. Jona- 
than and David, the heroes of the age, one of whom had slain a whole 
garrison, and the other Goliath, both wept till each exceeded. Homer, 
that exquisite painter of nature, considers Ulysses as excelling all men 
in wisdom, yet represents him as weeping three times in six lines. He 
describes Achilles, too, so extraordinary in courage, as weeping often 
and plentifully. Let not, therefore, the unfeeling pride themselves as 
superior in fortitude and philosophy. Feeling is the noblest distinction 
and ornament of humanity, and in proportion as we lose it we cease to 
be men. There is a moral ossification of the heart as well as a physi- 
cal, and the one is as pitiable as the other. He who was fairer than 
the children of men, was often known to weep. 

As these tears were honorable, so they are exemplary. For whom 
did he shed them? The inhabitants of Jerusalem, who, after every kind 
of insult, were going to put him to death. At the grave of Lazarus he 
wept for friends, here for adversaries. And does he not, by this, tell us 
to be tender-hearted ; to weep with them that weep ? that we should 
bewail the miseries of others, and not confine our compassion to our own 
connections ; but love our enemies, bless them that curse us, and do good 
to them that persecute us? And does he not enforce this, not only by 
precept but example? And can we be his disciples unless we follow 
him ? " He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself so to walk even 
as he walked." " If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none 
of his." 

These tears are encouraging. Tears are generally considered proofs 
of concern. Human tears, indeed, it will be allowed, are not infallible 
tokens ; but the tears of Christ may be safely trusted. They show his 
compassion ; the sincerity, the greatness of his compassion. They tell 
us that his love passeth knowledge, and therefore they call upon us to 
repair to him, assured that he is not willing that any should perish, and 
that he has no pleasure in the death of him that dieth. 



104 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Finally, they are awful and foreboding ; admonishing us of the dread- 
fulness of their doom on whose behalf they are shed. It is affecting to 
see a man weep, and especially a great man. You would naturally 
suppose that something vast and momentous was necessary to move to 
tears such mighty minds as those of a Bacon or a Newton. And could 
a trifle move the Son of God to weep ? And if the temporal calamities 
coming on the Jews affected him, how much more would their eternal 
perdition? What were the Roman eagles, compared with the wrath 
to come? Oh, these tears say, plain enough, "There is something 
divinely, infinitely pitiable in the loss of a soul. It is a fearful thing 
to fall into the hands of the living God. Who knoweth the power of 
his anger ?" 

May we not fairly infer from hence what his feelings are in the recov- 
ery of a sinner? If he weeps over those who are ready to perish, 
surely he will rejoice over those that are saved. " He will rejoice over 
them with joy ; he will rest in his love ; he will rejoice over them with 
singing." 

FEBRUARY 27. 
" Increasing in the knowledge of God." Col. 1 : 10. 

Does this mean the knowledge of which God is the author, or the 
knowledge of which he is the subject? In reality, this is the same 
thing. The gospel contains the knowledge which God has communi- 
cated to the children of men, and this principally discovers himself; so 
that it is at once a revelation from God, and a revelation of him. All 
his works, the largest and the least, praise him. If we take up the 
telescope or the microscope, we soon find reason alike to exclaim, " This 
is the finger of God." But we take up the gospel, and say, " No man 
hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, which is in the 
bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." Here we look into his 
very heart, and see that it is the dwelling-place of pity. Here we 
know the thoughts he thinks towards us, and find that they are thoughts 
of peace, and not of evil. 

With regard to this knowledge, we may make out four classes : 

Some are destitute of this knowledge of God. Some ! There are at 
present more than five hundred millions lying in darkness and the 
shadow of death! These have never heard of the name of Jesus, and 
know not that there is such a being in the universe. Yet Christians 
have it in their power to inform them, and a few are exerting them- 
selves. Prosper, God, their endeavors. Let thy way be known on 
earth, thy saving health among all nations. 

Some reject it. This is one of the things we should deem incredible, 
but we have undeniable, as well as mortifying evidence of the fact. 
How many refuse to hear! How many never read the word of God! 
Others even sneer at its inspiration, and ridicule its contents. What- 
ever difficulties may attend the doom of the former class, justice admits 



FEBRUARY 28. 105 

of none with regard to the second : "How can we escape, if we neglect 
so great salvation?" 

Some hold it in unrighteousness. They profess to know God, but in 
works deny him. Not a few of these have clear views of the way of 
salvation, and even contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. 
The gospel seems to have taught them every thing, except to deny 
themselves, and take up their cross and follow the Saviour in the re- 
generation. They would be offended to be placed near the former 
class. " We are not unbelievers." No, you have denied the faith, and 
are " worse than an infidel." 

Some receive it in the love and the influence of it. Their faith is not 
a notion ; their worship is not formality ; their hope is not delusion. 
They live in the Spirit, and walk in the Spirit. Though these are still 
comparatively few, yet, blessed be God, their number is daily and 
greatly enlarging ; and the Lord add to his people, how many soever 
they be, a hundred-fold ! 

Art thou, my reader, one of them ? Remember four things : 

That thou hast any of this knowledge, should make thee thankful. 

That thou hast so little, should make thee humble. 

That more is attainable, should encourage thy hope. 

That it is attainable only in the use of means, should awaken thy 
diligence. 

" Consider what I say ; and the Lord give thee understanding in all 
things." 

• FEBRUARY 28. 

"Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." 
John 13:1. 

These words refer immediately to the twelve disciples of our Lord. 
But what said he in his intercessory prayer ? " Neither pray I for these 
alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." 
And what part of the statement before us will not extend beyond his 
first followers ? 

Is it the relation ? They are called " his own ;" and they were in- 
deed his own by extraordinary office, but they were far more impor- 
tantly his own by saving grace. And thus he has a propriety in all 
Christians. If ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed. They that 
are Christ's have crucified the flesh. He has a peculiar right to them, 
from covenant donation, and the execution of his trust. They were 
given him as so many sheep to feed ; as so many scholars to teach ; as 
so many patients to heal ; as so many captives to redeem. They are 
therefore not their own, but bought with a price ; and the ransom was 
no less than his own blood. The connection between him and them is 
so intimate and entire, that they are called his heritage, his children, 
his bride ; the members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones ; yea, 
they are joined to the Lord, and of one spirit with him. 



106 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Is it the condition ? They " were in the world ;" he was leaving it, 
and they were to be left in it, and from what it had been to him, they 
could judge what it would be to them, according to his own intimation, 
" The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted 
me, they will also persecute you." They found themselves, therefore, 
as lilies among thorns, as sheep among wolves. And he prayed not to 
have them taken out of the world, but only kept from the evil. And 
thus it is with his people now. They are in the world, and this is their 
field of action, and this is their sphere of duty and trial for a season. 
There they are to serve their generation, there they are to glorify God, 
by doing and suffering his will. The world has advanced much in sci- 
ence and civilization, but it retains the same disposition towards real 
godliness as formerly, and is more perilous in its smiles than in its 
frowns, in its treacherous embraces than in its avowed hostilities. But 
if you are "his own," while you are "in the world," you will not be of 
it ; and he whose you are will not only keep you from falling, but ren- 
der" you useful in it, and bring you honorably out of it. Be of good 
cheer, says he, I have overcome the world. 

Is it the reality of his regard ? " He had loved his own which were in 
the world." What other principle could have actuated him in selecting 
them, calling them, informing them, employing them, adopting them, 
honoring them, blessing them with his constant intimacy? They had 
not chosen him, but he had chosen them, and ordained them, that they 
should go and bring forth fruit. He treated them not as servants, but 
as friends, and all things that he had heard of the Father he made 
known unto them. He could say, "As the Father hath loved me, so 
have I loved you." And is not this true of all his people ? Who said, 
Deliver them from going down into the pit ? Who bore their sins in 
his own body on the tree? Who shut the mouth of hell ? Who opened 
the kingdom of heaven to all believers ? Christian, who sought thee, 
and who saved thee ? Whatever you are, whatever you have, is the 
effect of the love of Christ, that passeth knowledge. 

Is it the permanency of this affection ? Having loved his own which 
were in the world, he loved them unto the end. They tried him, and 
proved themselves very unworthy of his continued attachment. Yet 
he bore with their dulness and imperfections. He chided and reproved 
them indeed, but this was not only compatible with his constancy, but 
resulted from it ; for as many as he loves he rebukes and chastens ; 
and faithful are the wounds of this Friend. And now we see him at 
the last, all alive to their welfare, teaching and comforting them, wash- 
ing their feet and praying for them. In the garden, when he found 
them sleeping, he extenuated the infirmity : The spirit indeed is willing, 
but the flesh is weak. When he surrendered himself to his enemies, he 
stipulated for their exemption : Let these go their way. He died with 
them in his heart. He rose, and appeared to them ; and, though they 
had all forsaken him and fled in the hour of trial, he said, Be not afraid, 
peace be to you. He laid his hands upon them, and while he blessed 






MARCH 1. 107 

them, he was taken up into heaven. And did he forget them then ? 
He sent them another Comforter, that should abide with them for ever. 
And was this peculiar to them ? He is " the same yesterday, to-day, 
and for ever." He rests in his love. He hath said, I will never leave 
thee, nor forsake thee. A true friend loveth at all times. There are 
indeed few such friends to be found. But he abideth faithful. Job's 
brethren proved like a summer's brook. One told David, in his dis- 
tress, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. At my 
first answer, no one, says Paul, stood by me, but all men forsook me ; 
but he adds, nevertheless the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me. 
So will it be with all those who trust in him : " They shall not be 
ashamed or confounded, world without end." 



MARCH 1. 



"And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the Lord 
shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee." Num. 10 : 32. 

While this invitation is founded in benevolence, it also displays 
humility. Christians are convinced that they can only give according 
as they have received ;, but, from God's communications to them, they 
know that they can be useful, and that they ought to be useful to others. 
They never receive grace for themselves only. If the glory of the Lord 
has risen upon them, they are to arise and shine. If they are convert- 
ed, they are to strengthen their brethren. If they are comforted, they 
are to comfort those who are in trouble. If they are rich in this 
world, they are to do good, and be rich in good works, ready to dis- 
tribute, willing to communicate : "As every man hath received the gift, 
even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the man- 
ifold grace of God." Hence says Moses to Hobab, " If thou go with 
us, what goodness the Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto 
thee." 

And he repeats the assurance, " It shall be — yea, it shall be." And 
was it not so? Did he repent of his adhering to Israel? See what is 
said in Judges and in Samuel of his descendants. And was Obed-Edom 
a loser by the ark? Did not the sacred guest more than pay for its 
entertainment? "It was told king David, saying, The Lord hath 
blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, be- 
cause of the ark of God." Who is likely to be injured by casting in 
his lot with the followers of the Lamb? Will his family suffer? Many 
a wretch has reduced his wife and children to penury and ruin by his 
vices, but every principle of a good man will lead him to provide for 
his own, and the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Will his 
substance ? The play-house, the ale-house, the gaming-house, the house 
of her who lives in the way to hell, going down to the chambers of 
death, will injure a man much more than the house of God. Will his 



108 MORNING EXERCISES. 

health ? Is this likely to be injured or benefited by temperance and 
calm temper, and cheerful confidence, and benevolent feelings ? Relig- 
ion must befriend reputation, as it produces and guards all the elements 
from which it is derived ; but the name of the wicked shall rot. 

Therefore come with us, and we will do you good, for the Lord 
hath spoken good concerning Israel. We cannot promise you great 
things in the world, but the Lord will bless your bread and your water ; 
and a little that a righteous man hath, is better than the riches of many 
wicked. We cannot promise you exemptions from affliction, but noth- 
ing: shall befall vou but what is common to man ; and God is faithful, 
who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will 
with the temptation also make a way for your escape. We cannot se- 
cure you from privations and sacrifices, but we can promise that you 
shall be more than indemnified for every thing you do, or lose, or suffer 
for the cause of God. He will not be unrighteous, to forget your work 
of faith and labor of love. A cup of cold water, given to a disciple 
in the name of a disciple, shall not lose its reward. " There is no man," 
saith the Saviour, " that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, 
or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive man- 
ifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlast- 
ing.' 7 We can assure you, that if you travel with us, you shall feed on 
the manna, and drink of the rock, and be guided by the cloud, and be- 
hold the glory of the Lord in the wilderness ; and then you shall share 
with us, beyond Jordan, in the land flowing with milk and honey. 
How blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven ; who have 
peace with God ; who are delivered from the sting of a guilty con- 
science, and the torment of fear ; who walk in the comforts of the Holy 
Ghost ; who rejoice in hope ; who know that death is their friend, and 
heaven their home ; who have their fruit unto holiness, and the end 
everlasting life ! " Lo this, we have searched it, so it is ; hear it, and 
know thou it for thy good." 

Lord, I have often heard this invitation ; I now accept it. I am a 
companion of them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. 
' : Remember me, Lord, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy peo- 
ple : visit me with thy salvation ; that I may see the good of thy 
chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may 
glory with thine inheritance." 



MARCH 2. 
"But Peter followed him afar off." Matt. 26 : 58. 
This, too, was better than forsaking him and fleeing, as the rest did. 
Here was the working of some degree of principle ; here was some love 
to the Saviour, or he would not have followed him at all. It was the 
lingering of that affection which may be seemingly smothered in the 
Christian, but can never be extinguished, and will soon be blown again 
into a flame. 



MARCH 2. 109 

But he was overcome by fear. His Lord was apprehended, and 
going to be tried and crucified. What if I, said Peter, should be found 
in the same doom ! The fear of man bringeth a snare. Skin for skin, 
yea, all that a man hath, will he give for his life. 

Yet this was very unbelieving in him. He had seen his Lord's 
miracles, and knew what he could do. He knew that he had actually 
stipulated for their release in the garden, as the condition of his own 
surrender. He knew that he had assured them that, after he was risen 
from the dead, he would appear to them, and employ them as his wit- 
nesses, which involved their preservation. What a difference between 
Peter and Paul — Paul, who said, " None of these things move me, nei- 
ther count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course 
with joy ;" and between Peter and Luther — Luther, who, when in- 
formed of his dangers, said, If there were as many devils in Worms as 
there are tiles upon the roofs of the houses, I would go. But Peter 
followed him afar off. 

This was also very ungrateful. The Saviour had done much for 
him. He had healed, by a miracle, his wife's mother ; he had called 
him to the apostleship, the highest honor on earth ; he had singularly 
distinguished him with James and John on several occasions ; he had 
saved him by his grace, and enlightened him from above, and was now 
going to suffer and die for him. And a friend is born for adversity. 
Then, instead of keeping at a distance from us, we look for his attend- 
ance and sympathy. Peter could have unequivocally testified in favor 
of suffering innocence, but he hangs off ; and patience itself complains, 
"I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for com- 
forters, but I found none." 

All this, too, was in violation of his own profession and vows, that 
he was willing to follow him to prison and to death, that he would die 
with him rather than deny him ; and all this had scarcely left his lips, 
and was uttered just after our Saviour had so solemnly forewarned him, 
yet Peter followed him afar off. 

This led to something worse, and I wonder not at the sequel. His 
after-conduct, in denying him, and thrice, and swearing with oaths and 
curses, was only the continuance and the increase of his present reluc- 
tance. So it is ; the way of error and sin is always down-hill ; and 
once in motion, who can tell where a man will stop ? You follow him 
afar off this hour ; the next you are ashamed of him. You trifle with 
the Sabbath to-day ; to-morrow you profane it. You now endure evil 
company ; you will soon choose it. So true is it, " They proceed from 
evil to evil." 

And yet, who of us can cast a stone at him? Are not we verily 
guilty, as well as Peter? Let us see whether, though as yet we have 
not begun to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man, we have 
not been following him afar off. Here let us not depend upon the 
opinion of our fellow-creatures ; we may stand fair with them, but what 
do they know of us, of our inward state, of our principles and mo- 



110 MORNING EXERCISES. 

tives? What says the heart ? " If our heart condemn us not, then have 
we confidence towards God." Yet even on this testimony we must not 
absolutely rely. " God is greater than the heart, and knoweth all 
things." The Laodiceans were satisfied with themselves at the very 
time when He charged them with every one of the evils from which 
they supposed themselves free. Has he not somewhat against us? 
May we not continue to read and hear his word, and keep our places 
in the sanctuary, and even at his table, and yet feel very little of that 
sacred fervor and delight that once accompanied our devotions ? At- 
tendance upon the Saviour in the means of grace is very distinguishable 
from spiritual worship. We may draw nigh to him with our mouth, 
and honor him with our lips, while the heart is far from him. Does 
the heart lag behind ? Then are we following him afar off. 

His people are himself. He that receiveth them receiveth him, and 
what we do not to the least of all his brethren, we do not to him. In 
the distance of our regard to them, and especially in our backwardness 
to notice and relieve and visit the poor and afflicted, are we not follow- 
ing him afar off? 

Above all, does not the evil appear in the remoteness of our resem- 
blance ? We are commanded to follow him, and our conformity to him 
is essential to all religion : and we may always judge of the degree, as 
well as the reality of our religion, by it. How far short of the model 
do we come ! How distantly do we resemble that condescension which 
washed the disciples' feet ; that self-denial which led him to please not 
himself ; that fervor which induced him to say, The zeal of thy house 
hath eaten me up ; that delight in obedience which enabled him to ac- 
knowledge, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish 
his work. 

And thus, by our negligence and indifference, we grieve his Holy 
Spirit, and thus we rob our own souls. For he is all in all. He is the 
fountain of life, and it is good for us to draw near to him. But when 
we follow him afar off, we cannot see him, and hear him, and converse 
with him. And woe unto us if trouble befalls us, or the enemy meets 
with us — and he is most likely to do so then — or death assails us, when 
we are absent from him. 



MARCH 3. 

"Tea, let God be true, but every man a liar." Rom. 3 : 4. 
But cannot God be true, and man be true also ? Does the veracity 
of the one infer the falsehood of the other? Not absolutely, but in 
particular instances. There may be, and there often is an opposition 
between their testimony ; and when this is the case, we are not to hes- 
itate a moment by whose claims we shall be decided. If the whole 
world was on one side, and He on the other, let God be true, but every 
man a liar. And comparatively, the credibility of the one must al- 
ways be nothing to that of the other. If we receive the witness ot 



MARCH 3. Ill 

men, the witness of God is greater. And this will appear undeniable 
from four admissions. 

The first regards the ignorance of man, and the wisdom of God. 
Man is fallible. He not only may err, but he is likely to err. He may 
be deceived by outward appearances, by the reports of others, by his 
own reasonings. His powers are limited ; his researches, in every di- 
rection, are soon checked ; there are depths which he cannot fathom, 
heights which he cannot scale, complications which he cannot unravel. 
Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom. How much of it is mere 
opinion and conjecture ! With what follies have the greatest minds 
been charged ! Where is the wise ? Where is the scribe ? Where is 
the disputer of this world ? Hath not God made foolishness the wis- 
dom of this world ? But his understanding is infinite. He knows all 
things. He cannot be mistaken. 

The second regards the mutability of man, and the unchangeable- 
ness of God. Creatures, from their very being, are mutable. Many of 
the angels kept not their first estate. Adam fell from his original con- 
dition. Who needs to be told, that man never continues in one stay? 
New views gender new feelings, and these new pursuits. What pleases 
to-day may offend to-morrow. Many are unstable as water. No one is 
unchangeable. But God changes not. What he thinks now of any 
subject he always thought, and always will think, for " with him there 
is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." 

The third regards the weakness of man, and the all-sufficiency of 
God. Man may threaten in fury, but be unable to execute. He may 
promise sincerely, and his promises be vain words — he cannot fulfil 
them. In this respect, he is not always to be judged of by his conduct. 
There are cases in which we censure, when, if we knew all, we should 
only pity. The. man struggles with difficulties which have unexpect- 
edly come upon him, and yields to dire necessity, and provides things 
honest in the sight of the Lord, who has seen all his heart and his hard- 
ships, though not in the sight of men. But God is almighty. He who 
made and upholds all things by the word of his power, speaks every 
thing in the Scriptures. 

The fourth regards the depravity of man, and the rectitude of God. 
Man goes astray from the womb, speaking lies. He often knowingly 
deceives. It is his aim and study, and he rejoices in his success. Even 
men who are influenced by religious principles, may be overcome of 
evil, and occasion our saying, Lord, what is man ! How far from truth 
was the sentiment of Jonah, " I do well to be angry, even unto death." 
How lamentable was the falsehood of Abraham, when he said of his 
wife, She is my sister ! How dreadful was the perjury of Peter, when 
he sware, " I know not the man 1" But God is holiness itself. He is 
incapable of a wrong bias ; he cannot be tempted to deceive. 

When, therefore, we look at man — ignorant and fallible, varying 
according to his excitements, often unable to make good his engage- 
ments, yea, accessible to the influence of evil motives — and then con- 



112 MORNING EXERCISES. 

template God, in all the glories of his wisdom, immutability, almighti- 
ness, and rectitude, each being an everlasting and infinite preservative 
of truth — who can view these competitors for our belief, and not join 
with the apostle, "Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar." 

The use to which this fact should be applied, is to reduce our confi- 
dence in man, and increase our confidence in God. 

And yet the reverse of this is our practice. We yield where we 
should be cautious, and we hesitate where it is impossible for us to err. 
We turn from the Rock of ages, and lean on the broken reed. What 
is the consequence ? " Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and 
maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For 
he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good 
cometh ; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt 
land, and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, 
and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the 
waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not 
see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green ; and shall not be 
careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." 

Let us cease, then, from man. Not that we are to become univer- 
sally suspicious, and suppose that there is no sincerity in the world. It 
was David's error to say, in his haste, All men are liars. And when 
the Scripture says, There is no faithfulness in them — men of low degree 
are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie — it must be taken with 
qualification. Yet instances of inflexible integrity are not abundant. 
And we should not implicitly rely upon any one, especially in divine 
things. Let us respect great and good men, but not be enslaved by 
them. Let us not pin our faith to the sleeve of any authority merely 
human. Let us suffer no man to have dominion over our conscience, 
always searching the Scriptures to see whether these things are so in 
the word of truth. 

For God is entitled to our absolute confidence. " God is not a man, 
that he should lie ; neither the son of man, that he should repent : hath 
he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not 
make it good ?" Let us trust him as he deserves. Let us always place 
a ready and unshaken reliance on his word. Let God be true in its 
doctrines, and let us receive them, however mysterious. Let God be 
true in its threatenings, and let us flee from the wrath to come. Let 
God be true in its promises, and let us be strong in faith, giving glory 
to God. Let God be true in its predictions, and, whatever difficulties 
stand in the way, believe that the whole earth shall be filled with his 
glory. Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar. 



MARCH 4. 

" All his saints are in thy hand." Deut. 33 : 3. 
These holy ones are distinguished by many things from each other. 
Some of them are in public life, and some in private. Some are rich, 



MARCH 4. 113 

and some poor ; some are young, and some old. But all are equally 
dear to God, and partakers of the common salvation ; in which there 
is neither Jew nor Greek, neither bond nor free, neither male nor 
female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus. They pass under various 
denominations among men, and these too often keep them at a distance 
from each other, and lead them to mistake and censure each other ; and 
often they would seem to wish to draw Him along with them, and con- 
fine his influences within their respective exclusiveness. But no ; he 
owns them all. They are all children of the same family, and going to 
the same temple to worship ; and however they may differ in dress, or 
age, or stature, they all stand in the same relation to each other, and to 
himself. Some of them are strong, and others are weak in faith. He 
has in his fold lambs as well as sheep ; and in his family babes as well 
as young men. But a bruised reed will he not break, and the smoking 
flax will he not quench, but will bring forth judgment unto victory. 
This honor have all his saints : "AU his saints are in thy hand." 

In his fashioning hand. They are the clay and he is the potter, and 
he makes them vessels of honor, prepared unto every good work. He 
fearfully and wonderfully made them as creatures. But they are his 
workmanship by another and a nobler creation. " This people have I 
formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise." 

In his preserving hand. For now they are precious, they are the 
more exposed. They are called a crown and a diadem, and the powers 
of darkness would gladly seize it ; but observe where it is placed for 
security : " Thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, 
and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God ;" and there they are safe, 
perfectly safe — safe, not owing to their strength, but to their situation. 
By another image the Saviour establishes the same confidence. " My 
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me : and I give 
unto them eternal life ; and they shall never perish, neither shall any 
man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is 
greater than all ; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's 
hand." 

In his guiding hand. To lead a blind man, you take him in your 
hand. Thus the Lord leads his people. He knoweth the way that they 
take, but they do not. " I will bring the blind by a way that they knew 
not ; I will lead them in paths that they have not known." You take 
a little child in your hand to lead him. Though God, says Bishop Hall, 
has a large family, none of his children are able to go alone ; they are 
too weak, as well as too ignorant. But fear not, says God: "I will 
strengthen thee ; yea I will help thee ; yea, I will uphold thee with the 
right hand of my righteousness." 

In his chastening hand. They are sometimes alarmed at their afflic- 
tions, and cry, Do not condemn me — as if they were in the hand of an 
enemy. But he is their Father ; and not like fathers of our flesh, "for 
they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure, but He 

for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness." Luther there- 
Mom. Exer. 8 



114 MORNING EXERCISES. 

fore said, Strike on, Lord, strike on ; for now I know I am thy child. 
We deserve to lose the rod, and by our improper behavior we forfeit all 
claim to his correction ; and we may well wonder and exclaim, Lord, 
what is man, that thou shouldest magnify him, that thou shouldest set 
thy heart upon him, that thou shouldest visit him every morning and 
try him every moment? But he does not deal with us according to 
our desert. And therefore rather than leave us to make flesh our arm, 
or the world our portion, he will remove every stay of support, and 
dry up every spring of comfort. But he does not afflict willingly. If 
needs be only, we are in heaviness : and when we mourn our faults, the 
rod drops upon the ground, and he hastens to wipe away our tears. "Is 
Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against 
him, I do earnestly remember him still : therefore my bowels are troubled 
for him ; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord." 

Whatever, therefore, Christians have to distress and perplex, here 
is enough to comfort and to satisfy them : " For all this I considered in 
my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and 
their works, are in the hand op God." 



MARCH 5 



" So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God ; but with the flesh the law 
of sin." Rom. 7:25. 

So ends this chapter, concerning which there has been much dispute. 
For some have contended that the apostle does not here speak of him- 
self, but personates another. They suppose that he refers to a Jew : 
under the law, but not under grace ; awakened, but not renewed ; con- 
vinced, but not converted. 

Yet can any unregenerate person with truth say, not only, " I con- 
sent to the law that it is good," but, " With my mind I serve the law of 
God?" and, "I delight in the law of God after the inward man?" an 
expression of godliness that characterized the very temper of the Mes- 
siah himself. He could say nothing more than this, " I delight to do thy 
will, my God ; yea, thy law is within my heart." 

At first view, the language of complaint may seem much too strong 
to apply to the experience of a real Christian. But what real Chris- 
tian would find it too much to utter when placed in the same state, and 
occupied in the same way with the apostle? That is, viewing him- 
self before a God in whose sight the very heavens are not clean, and 
who charges his angels with folly ; and who sees more pollution in our 
duties, than we ever see in our sins : that is, comparing himself with 
the rule of all rectitude, the divine law, whose spirituality is such as to 
extend to the thoughts and desires of the mind, as well as the actions 
of the life, and which considers anger as murder, and the lust of the 
eye as adultery. What must the highest attainments of morals be, 
compared with this absolutely perfect standard of holiness? yea, or 
even with the elevated and vast desires of a renewed soul? 

We need not wonder that many are astonished and perplexed here. 



MARCH 6. 115 

" The spiritual judgeth all things ; but he himself is judged of no man." 
They who are strangers to the warfare in which he is engaged, can 
never clearly comprehend his language, or enter into those feelings 
which produce such a depth of confession and abasement. Those who 
have never been in the field, may be surprised at many things related 
by a veteran, in describing the campaigns he has passed through ; but 
his old scar-worn comrade can attest the truth of them. In religious 
matters, more than in any other, the heart knoweth its own bitterness, 
and a stranger intermeddleth not with his joy. But "the secret of the 
Lord is with them that fear him." 

We allow that this chapter has been much perverted. There is no 
part of the Bible that Antinomians so much delight in, or which un- 
godly men who turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness so often 
quote. Such persons wrest also the other scriptures to their own 
destruction. And are we to argue against the use of a thing from the 
abuse of it? What good thing is not abused? We do not refuse rai- 
ment to the naked, because there are some who glory in what ought to 
remind us of our shame ; nor food to the hungry, because some make a 
god of their belly. And shall we refuse to sincere and humble souls, 
mourning over the evils of their own heart, the instruction and conso- 
lation here provided for them, for fear the interpretation should be 
applied to an improper purpose? No one really taught of God will 
abuse it ; nor can he be more reconciled to his corruptions, or more 
satisfied with his deficiencies, in consequence of being able to adopt the 
language as his own. 

For shall they " continue in sin, that grace may abound ? God for- 
bid! How can they who are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" 
We are not to make sad hearts of God's people, but to comfort them, 
for the joy of the Lord is their strength. And only the last day will 
show how much this section of Scripture has strengthened the weak 
hands and confirmed the feeble knees of those who were deeming their 
experience peculiar, and concluding that they had no part with the 
Israel of God till they heard Paul bewailing and encouraging himself 
thus : " For to will is present with me ; but how to perform that which 
is good I find not. I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil 
is present with me. wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me 
from the body of this death ? I thank God through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but 
with the flesh the law of sin." 



MARCH 6. 



" Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the laud before thee : go up and possess it, as 
the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee: fear not, neither be discouraged." 
Dedt. 1:21. 

We may, and we ought to transfer what is here said to the Jews 
concerning Canaan to ourselves, with regard to a better country, that 
is, a heavenly ; for the one was designed to be typical of the other. 



116 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Observe the exhibition : " Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the 
land before thee." Where? In the Scriptures. Not in its full devel- 
opment, for so it is a glory to be revealed, for it doth not yet appear 
what we shall be ; but in its general nature, and in a way adapted to 
our present apprehensions, and likely to take hold of our mind. Hence 
so many figures are employed, all of which, while they fall short of the 
subject, aid our conceptions. 

But does he place it before our eyes to tantalize us, by awakening 
our notice, and drawing forth our admiration, and exciting our desire, 
when the boon is not within our reach ? 

Observe the command : " Go up and possess it, as the Lord God of 
thy fathers hath said unto thee." This supposes it to be attainable ; 
yea, it makes the attainment our duty. Our missing it is not only our 
misery, but our crime. We shall be punished for neglecting so great 
salvation. It is our guilt — the guilt of the vilest disobedience to the 
most gracious authority ; for he not only allows, but he enjoins us to 
seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and commands us to believe 
on the name of his Son Jesus Christ. Are we doing this ? For He is 
the way, and we come unto God by Him. 

Observe the encouragement : " Fear not, neither be discouraged." 
To this we are liable on two accounts. First, by a sense of our unwor- 
thiness. The greatness of the blessedness, when combined with a sense 
of our desert, astonishes the mind into a kind of incredulity ; and 
makes hope seem no better than presumption. But every thing here is 
free, and designed to show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kind- 
ness towards us. We are as welcome as we are unworthy. Why then 
should we refuse to be comforted ? Secondly, by a sense of our weak- 
ness. Who is sufficient for the distance, the difficulties, the dangers? 
The Jews were dismayed by the report of the spies. The towns, said 
they, are walled up to heaven. There are the Anakim, in whose sight 
we were but as grasshoppers. The people were disheartened. But said 
Caleb, "Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are able." Did he 
mean, without God ? No ; but with him — with him as their leader and 
keeper ; and this he had promised. And is he not with you? Has he 
not said, "Fear not, for I am with thee ; be not dismayed, for I am thy 
God : I will strengthen thee ; yea, I will help thee ; yea, I will uphold 
thee with the right hand of my righteousness?" We cannot be too 
sensible of our weakness ; but let us remember that his grace is sufficient 
for us. Has it not been sufficient for all those who have gone before 
us? They had their fears, but they overcame. They are now more 
than conquerors through Him who loved them. 

But Jordan rolls between. So was it with the Jews ; and it was 
even overflowing its banks at the time. But the ark divided the waters. 
They went through dry-shod. And their enemies were as still as a 
stone, till they were clean passed over, and the land was all their own. 



I 



MARCH T. 117 

MARCH 7. 
"I have called you friends." John 15 :15. 

What condescension and kindness and grace are here ; for these 
must be the principles of this friendship, whether we consider his great- 
ness, or our meanness and unworthiness. Lord, what is man, that thou 
art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? Yet 
he is mindful of us ; he does visit us, yea, he calls us his friends. And 
names and things, professions and realities, are the same with him. If 
he calls us friends, he will treat us accordingly, and we may expect 
from him whatever the most perfect friendship can insure. 

For instance, he will honor us with his confidence, the very thing 
he here mentions : " Henceforth I call you not servants ; for the servant 
knoweth not what his Lord doeth : but I have called you friends ; for 
all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto 
you." A servant is intrusted, not with secrets, but orders, and he is 
seldom informed of the reasons even of these. Turning him into a con- 
fidant, is one of the ways to exemplify Solomon's observation : " He 
that delicately bringeth up a servant, shall have him for his son at 
length," and he will take greater liberties than a child. There is, in- 
deed, respect due to a servant, but it is respect of another kind. We 
do not like a master or mistress who disdains speaking to a domestic, 
unless in the language of menace or authority ; but good sense will find 
out a happy medium between distance and fondness, between haughti- 
ness and a familiarity that inspires no deference. But unreserved con- 
fidence is for friends ; nothing is concealed between them. Abraham 
is called the friend of God ; and says God, " Shall I hide from Abra- 
ham that thing which I do ?" How did our Lord unbosom himself to 
his disciples. To you, said he, is given to know the mysteries of the 
kingdom of heaven. When he was alone, he expounded all things unto 
them ; he manifested himself to them, and not unto the world. And so 
now, the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will 
show them his covenant. 

If he calls us friends, he will give us freedom of access to him. The 
distance and ceremonies which may be necessary to regulate the ap- 
proach of others, are laid aside with a friend ; the heart, the arms, the 
house, are all open to him. And does the Lord keep us at a distance ? 
All his language is invitation : " Come unto me." He allows us to 
come even to his seat, and to enter into the secret of his pavilion. He 
permits us at all times to spread our most minute affairs before him, yea, 
he indulges us to live in his house, to sit at his table, to walk with him, 
to lean upon his bosom. Such honor have all his saints. 

If he calls us friends, he will reprove us. Whenever friendship is 
founded on proper principle, reproof will be one of its chief duties, and 
privileges too. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. So David valued 
them : " Let the righteous smite me ; it shall be a kindness : and let 
him reprove me ; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my 



118 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Lead : for yet my prayers also shall be in their calamities." Moses 
makes the omission the proof of hatred : " Thou shalt not hate thy 
brother in thy heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, 
and not suffer sin upon him." But the Saviour will never incur this 
reproach : " As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten." 

If he calls us friends, he will counsel us. There are passages in the 
life of every man sufficient to confound a single understanding. But 
how pleasing is it, in doubts and perplexities, to fetch in aid from the 
judgment or experience of another, and who is concerned for our wel- 
fare. But he is "The Counsellor." "Counsel," says he, "is mine, and 
sound wisdom." He is a light to them that sit in darkness. He is a 
dissolver of doubts. The meek will he guide in judgment, and the 
meek will he teach his way, and they that follow it will find it to be 
pleasantness and peace. 

If he calls us friends, he will sympathize with us. There is no true 
friendship, unless we make the pleasures and the pains of our connec- 
tions our own, rejoicing when they rejoice, and weeping when they 
weep. "To him that is afflicted, pity should be showed from his 
friend." The natural language of the sufferer is, "Pity me, pity me, 
ye my friends ; for the hand of God hath touched me." Hence the 
complaint of the Saviour, "I looked for some to take pity, and there 
was none ; and for comforter, but I found none ;" for even all the dis- 
ciples forsook him and fled. But he will never inflict what he endured. 
In all our afflictions he is afflicted. To exemplify this, he assumed our 
nature; he became a man, to be a friend. "For in that he himsell 
hath suffered, being tempted, he is also able to succor those that are 
tempted. And therefore, though he is passed into the heavens, we have 
not a high-priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our in- 
firmity ; yea, " He that toucheth them, toucheth the apple of his eye." 

If he calls us friends, he will afford us assistance and succor. And 
this is the grand test of friendship. A friend loveth at all times, but 
is born for adversity ; and he has forfeited all claim to the character, 
who says, in the hour of application, Go in peace ; be ye warmed, and 
be ye filled ; while he gives not the things that are needful. Yet how 
often is this the case. How often are the words of Solomon verified, 
" Confidence in an unfaithful man in the time of trouble, is like a broken 
tooth, or a foot out of joint." Many are very friendly when you want 
not their aid, especially while you are imparting, instead of receiving. 
You are their garden ; they walk in it in summer, but abandon it in 
winter — then it has no flowers or fruits. You are their scaffold ; they 
build with you, but when the work is done, they take you down and lay 
you aside. But though the Saviour will never leave us nor forsake us, 
he has emphatically said, I will be with you in trouble. And his peo- 
ple have always found him a present help, when every other resource 
has failed. Some may really feel for us, but be unable to help us. But 
nothing is too hard for the Lord. Even in death he will be the strength 
of our heart, and our portion for ever. 



MARCH 8. 119 

Thus he treats his friends. How do they treat him? Have we 
never given him cause to say, " Is this thy kindness to thy friend ?" 
Have we never betrayed a want of confidence in him ? Have we never 
been ashamed of him ; never denied him before men ; never preferred 
our own ease and honor to his cause and glory ? We can never make 
him adequate returns for his goodness. But have we made him suitable 
returns ? Rather, will not an honest review of our temper and conduct 
constrain us to blush and say, ll Behold, I am vile ; what shall I an- 
swer?" 



MARCH 8. 



" Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his 
mercy." Psa, 33 : 18. 

This is a very encouraging character. They who cannot claim the 
higher distinctions of religion, may surely know that they " fear God, 
and hope in his mercy." 

Some may wonder at the combination, and suppose that the quali- 
ties are incompatible with each other ; but the first Christians "walked 
in the fear of the Lord, and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost." They 
may think that the fear will injure the hope, or the hope the fear ; but 
these are mutually helpful, and they are not only never so beautiful, but 
never so influential as when they are blended. The fear promotes hope, 
by the evidence it affords, and by keeping us from loose and careless 
walking, which must always affect our peace and pleasure. And hope 
no less befriends this fear ; for never is God seen so glorious, so wor- 
thy of all our devotedness to him, as when we hope in his mercy ; and 
even the more assured we are of his regard, the more we shall inquire, 
Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? the more we shall tremble at the 
thought of offending and grieving him, the more we shall continue 
upon our knees, praying, " Let the words of my mouth, and the medita- 
tion of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, Lord, my strength and 
my redeemer." It is called " a lively hope ;" and Christians know by 
experience, that upon all their principles and duties it has the same 
influence as the spring has upon the fields and the gardens. 

Despondence of mind has the same effect upon our feelings and obe- 
dience as frost upon the stream — it chills, hardens, and stagnates ; but 
divine love dissolves the ice, and the waters flow. 

God is a Spirit, and has none of our senses and members ; but in 
speaking to us, he makes use of language that we can understand : 
"His eye is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his 
mercy." 

The eyes of his knowledge are upon them. Every thing in their 
affairs comes under his notice. He knows all their walking through 
this great wilderness. Nothing befalls them without their heavenly 
Father. Parents cannot always have their eye upon a child. They 
may be engaged, they may be afar off, they may be asleep. But He is 



120 MORNING EXEECISES. 

always at hand ; he is never diverted or perplexed ; he never slumbers 
or sleeps. 

The eyes of his affection are upon them. The eye not only affecteth 
the heart, but follows it. It turns with the object of attachment ; it 
sparkles with delight while dwelling upon it ; and when deprived of 
the sight, continues looking in the direction of departure, as the disci- 
ples stood gazing up towards heaven after their beloved Saviour. Oh, 
to be the object of God's love ; to be precious in his sight, and honor- 
able ! But he " takes pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope 
in his mercy." "He will rest in his love : he will joy over them with 
singing." 

The eyes of his providence are upon them. Therefore it is added, 
" To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine ;" 
that is — for a part is put for the whole — to secure them from all dan- 
ger, and to supply all their wants. In cases the most perilous and ex- 
treme, he is able to do for them exceeding abundantly above all they 
can ask or think. We are not to look for miracles, but it is only be- 
cause the power and truth of God can do without them. 

"For sooner all nature shall change 
Than one of God's promises fail." 

"How safe and how happy are they 

Who on the good Shepherd rely : 
He gives them oat strength for their day ; 

Their wants he will surely supply. 
He ravens and lions can tame ; 

All creatures obey his command ; ' 
Then let me rejoice in his name, 

And leave all my cares in his hand." 



MARCH 9. 

"Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might." Eph. 6 : 10. 

To this we must be brought. Nature can never do the work of 
grace. Reason cannot be a substitute for faith. Education cannot 
render needless the teaching of the Spirit. Yain must all our exer- 
tions be, without his agency. "Without his influence, we may have the 
form of godliness, but not the power ; we may be reformed, but not 
renewed ; we may become other creatures, but not new ones. 

What is the use we are to make of this admission ? Are we to de- 
rive from it ease in sin, self-justification, excuses for indolence, reasons 
for despair ? Self-despair indeed grows out of it, but no other. There 
is hope in Israel concerning this thing. We have a resource, and it is 
accessible ; and we are commanded to " be strong in the Lord, and in 
the power of his might." 

When we plead for this doctrine, we are often charged with enthu- 
siasm. ^ But the Scripture asserts that we are his workmanship, created 
in Christ Jesus ; that it is God who worketh in us to will and to do of 



MARCH 9. 121 

his good pleasure; that hereby we know that he abideth in us by the 
Spirit which he hath given us. And we retort the charge upon those 
that would exclude this influence. For what is enthusiasm, but vision- 
ary hope, groundless expectation? And what can be more delusive, 
than looking for an end without suitable and adequate means ; a mighty 
effect, without a more powerful cause ; a practice the most alien from 
our depraved nature, without a divine principle ; a gathering of grapes 
from thorns, and figs from thistles? And this is the case with those 
who deny the operations of that grace which is alone sufficient for us. 
We allow that we draw the character of the Christian high, and expect 
from him great things ; that he should be renewed in the spirit of his 
mind ; that he should walk by faith, and not by sight ; that he should 
overcome the world, and have his conversation in heaven. But we 
have means answerable to all this. We have a principle adequate to 
the practice. We have a cause far superior to all these grand results. 
We allow that the work of a Christian, as it is described in the Bible, 
looks fitter for an angel than for a fallen, weak man ; but this fallen, 
weak man has more than the sufficiency of an angel for the discharge 
of it : his sufficiency is of God. 

Such a discovery, such an assurance is necessary. We are depraved 
creatures, and we cannot be ignorant of it. We have inward repug- 
nances to spiritual duties. We are surrounded with outward difficul- 
ties. On the side of sin there is number, example, constant solicitation. 
Our slothful heart cries, " There is a lion in the way ; I shall be slain 
in the streets." With all this known and felt, who could enter a relig- 
ious course with pleasure or vigor, without the certainty of effectual 
aid? Possibility, probability is not enough. Mere hope is not enough. 
Our hands hang down, our knees tremble, our very souls are chilled, 
unless we have a full and express persuasion that God will be with us, 
and bear us through. And here, therefore, he meets us, and says, 
I Fear not, for I am with thee ; be not dismayed, for I am thy God : I 
will strengthen thee ; yea, I will help thee ; yea, I will uphold thee 
with the right hand of my righteousness." Rely on me. Nothing is 
too hard for the Lord. I can enlighten the darkest understanding. I 
can turn the heart of stone to flesh. Take hold of my strength, and be 
more than a conqueror. "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." 

At the sound of this animation, every thing revives in me, like vege- 
tation at the call of spring. I am filled with confidence and courage ; 
weak in myself, I am strong in another, and almighty in the God of my 
salvation. 

And is it not better for me that I should be a constant suppliant at 
the mercy-seat, than have no reasons for calling upon God, being able 
to do without him ? Is it not better for me to depend upon the God of 
all grace for the continual supplies of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, than 
to have a fund of my own ? The sufficiency lodged in me must have 
been limited and finite, but in the Lord Jehovah I have everlasting 
strength. I could not trust in my own heart, but I can rely on his 



122 MORNING EXERCISES. 

word. I can never be so willing to supply myself, as he is ready to 
succor ine. 

"Though in ourselves we have no stock, 

The Lord is nigh to save ; 
The door flies open when we knock, 
And 't is but ask and have." 



MARCH 10. 
"Will a man rob God?" Mal. 3:8. 

Is it probable ? Is it possible ? 

Can he be so disingenuous ? What, rob a father, a friend, a benefac- 
tor ; the best of all fathers ; the kindest of all, friends ; the most gen- 
erous of all benefactors ! 

Can he be so daring? To rob a being so high and sacred, and 
whose glory so enhances the offence I To injure a fellow-subject is fel- 
ony, but to injure the king is treason. To steal from a man is injustice, 
but to steal from God is sacrilege. The wretch adds profaneness to 
violence when he breaks, not into a house, but a temple, and takes off 
things dedicated to the service of the Deity. 

Can he be so irrational ? To rob a being, not when he is absent, 
for he never is absent, but when he is present ; not in the night, but in 
the day, and darkness and light are both alike to him ; not when he 
sees not, observes not, but while he is looking on, and must look on, for 
his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he pondereth all his goings ! 

Can he be so desperate ? To rob one who can, who will punish, 
and whose wrath is not only unavoidable, but intolerable! It is a 
fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 

Yet says God, and he cannot be mistaken, or accuse unrighteously, 
"Ye have robbed me." But on whom falls the charge? A Pharaoh 
only, who would not let the people go : a Nebuchadnezzar, who carried 
away the vessels of the sanctuary ; a Belshazzar, who profaned them ; 
an Ananias and Sapphira, who kept back part of the property they had 
sold ; a Herod, who beheaded John ; or a Nero, who slew Paul ? Alas, 
the criminals are less obvious characters, and are found much nearer 
home ; they are to be found in our own houses ; they are to be found 
in the house of God. 

Who has not robbed God of 'property ? Our wealth is not our own. 
We are only stewards. It always looks suspicious when a gentleman's 
steward becomes very rich, and dies affluent. It is even so with pro- 
fessors of religion. It would be better for them to die comparatively 
poor ; it would be better for their reputation ; it would be better for 
their relations. A little, honestly obtained, would be better than a 
large accumulation embezzled from God ; it would be more sweet ; it 
would be more efficient. Substance is intrusted to its occupiers for 
certain purposes plainly laid down in the Scripture, and the providence 
of God is perpetually calling upon you for it. Do you discharge these 



MARCH 10. 123 

claims, or do you alienate from them, by hoarding or extravagance ? 
How much do some unjustly expend in table luxuries, in costly dress, in 
magnificent furniture. And they are fond of displaying these. They 
have little reason. They glory in their shame. These are all robber- 
ies ; they are purloined from God's cause, or God's poor. 

Who has not robbed God of time ? The Sabbath he expressly claims 
for himself, and it is called the Lord's-day. Have we not often robbed 
him of much of this, perhaps of all, by worldly accounts, by evil com- 
pany, by idle visits, by doing our own ways, and finding our own pleas- 
ures? Youth is the morning, the spring of life ; it is our best season, 
and therefore God has a right to it, and calls upon us to remember his 
demands. But have we not partially or wholly robbed him of these 
days ; have we not squandered them away in vanity, folly, and vice ? 
All our moments and opportunities are his, and he commands us to re- 
deem the time. But who lays to heart the brevity and uncertainty of 
life? Who values it as " the day of salvation?" Who seizes it as the 
only season of usefulness ? Who rises early ? 

" Where is that thrift, that avarice of time — 
glorious avarice! — thought of death inspires?" 

Where is He in all our ways, who said, " I must work the work of him 
that sent me while it is day j the night cometh, wherein no man can 
work ?" 

Who has not robbed him of the heart ? This was made for him, and 
he demands it: "My son, give me thy heart." But the fear of the 
heart, the confidence of the heart, the gratitude of the heart, the attach- 
ment of the heart, we have transferred to the creature from the Crea- 
tor, God over all, blessed for evermore. 

And may not the same be said of our talents, of our learning, of our 
powers of conversation, of our retentiveness of memory, of our influence 
over others ? 

Let us not affect to deny the charge, and ask, as the accused here 
did, Wherein have we robbed thee ? But let us repair to the footstool 
of Mercy, and cry, " If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, Lord, 
who shall stand ?" 

"But there is forgiveness with him, that he may be feared : and with 
him there is plenteous redemption f and we may, and we ought to ap- 
proach him with the encouragement of hope. But this hope must be 
founded on his own invitations and promises. It must bring us " unto 
God by him" who said, " No man cometh unto the Father but by me." 
To pray to God to save such creatures in any other way, is to disobey 
his dearest command. It is to affront and insult him, by beseeching 
him to be untrue and unrighteous, to frustrate his grace, and to make 
Jesus Christ to be dead in vain. But in him he can be just, and yet the 
Justifier. He can redeem Jacob, and glorify himself in Israel. 

We must also be turned away from all our iniquity, for he that con- 
fessed and forsaketh his sin shall find mercy. We shall also sorrow 



124 MORNING EXERCISES. 

after a godly sort, and instead of complaining of any of the methods of 
his grace and providence, we shall cheerfully acquiesce in them all, and 
remember, and be confounded, and never open our mouth more, because 
of our shame, when he is pacified towards us for all that we have done. 



MARCH 11. 

"I will mention the loving-kindnesses of the Lord." Is a. 63 : 7. 

There are three ways in which we should resolve to do this. 

We should mention the loving-kindnesses of the Lord to others. We 
should do this in a way of conversation. " Let no corrupt communica- 
tion," says the apostle, " proceed out of your mouth." Where there is 
nothing immoral or indecent, there may yet be much that is trifling and 
vain ; he therefore adds, " But that which is good to the use of edifying, 
that it may minister grace to the hearers." And here is a subject for 
discourse not only innocent, but profitable ; a saying, not only faithful, 
but worthy of all acceptation ; and such as Moses and Elias would 
delight to join in, were they in company with us. We should also 
mention them to others, in a way of recommendation. Some are con- 
vinced of sin, and ready to despair ; and nothing but the exceeding 
riches of divine grace can keep them from it. And some are seeking 
happiness where we know they can never find it. Let us therefore say 
to them, "Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, 
and your labor for that which satisfi eth not ? Hearken diligently unto 
me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in 
fatness." " taste and see that the Lord is good : blessed is the man 
that trusteth in him." This, coming from our own experience, and 
enforced by our own example, may save a soul from death. Especially, 
too, if we can bear a final testimony to the truth, and say, with the 
departing Henry, " You have heard the dying words of many — these 
are mine : I have found a life of communion with Christ the happiest 
life in the world." 

We should also mention the loving-kindnesses of God to ourselves. 
There is such a thing as self-converse ; and would God it were more 
common. It is said, fools talk much to themselves, but wise men will 
talk more. David enjoins this : " Commune with your own heart upon 
your bed, and be still." And he also was an example of it : "I commune 
with mine own heart, and my spirit made diligent search." " Yet the 
Lord will command his loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night 
his song shall be with me." Hence he chides his own soul : " Why art 
thou cast down, my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope 
thou in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my counte- 
nance, and my God." Are you discouraged by your unworthiness, and 
the greatness of your guilt? Bring before your minds the freeness and 
the fulness of his mercy, and his loving-kindnesses to others, who had no 
more claim upon him than yourselves. Are you in trouble? Kecall 



MARCH 12. 125 

his goodness in former difficulties, and say, my desponding soul, be- 
cause he has been my help, therefore under the shadow of his wings 
will I rejoice. Mention them also to yourselves, to excite you to imita- 
tion. Has he been so ready to forgive, and has he daily loaded me 
with his benefits ; and shall I, my soul, be implacable and uncharita- 
ble? Let me be a follower of God. Let me be merciful, even as my 
Father who is in heaven is merciful. 

We should mention his loving-kindnesses to God himself, in the vari- 
ous exercises of devotion. In expostulating with him : " Look down 
from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy 
glory. Where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels 
and of thy mercies towards me? are they restrained?" In pleading 
with him : if we fill our mouth with arguments, they must be fetched 
from his own goodness : " For thy name's sake, Lord, pardon mine 
iniquity ; for it is great." In praying for ourselves : " Hear me speedily, 
Lord : my spirit faileth ; hide not thy face from me, lest I be like 
unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear thy loving- 
kindness in the morning : for in thee do I trust : cause me to know the 
way wherein I should walk ; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Deliver 
me, Lord, from mine enemies. I flee unto thee to hide me. Teach 
me to do thy will, for thou art my God : thy Spirit is good ; lead me 
into the land of uprightness." In interceding for others — the conver- 
sion of our kindred, the salvation of sinners, the prosperity of the 
church : " Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion, build thou the walls 
of Jerusalem." In thanksgiving : " Lord, I will praise thee ; though 
thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned way, and thou comfort- 
est me." 

Alas, how seldom does God hear this from us ! There was a time 
when this heavenly exercise commenced ; that it had been earlier ! 
But it will never end. They that dwell in his house will be still prais- 
ing him. 

Because my finite capacity will not admit of blessedness infinite in 
the degree, it shall be infinite in the duration ; and by happy reviews of 
the past, and unbounded prospects of the future, I shall feel perpetually 
growing beatitudes, and shall be always singing a new song. My weep- 
ing days, and my warring days, and my waiting days, and my watching 
days, and my praying days will soon be past : but 

"My days of praise shall ne'er be past, 
While life, or breath, or being last, 
Or immortality endures. 



MARCH 12. 

"By love serve one another." Gal. 5 :13. 

This admonition implies our connection with, our dependence upon, 
and our obligation to each other. The service it enjoins is levied upon 






126 MORNING EXERCISES. 

all, without exception ; and is to be displayed in every way in which 
we can afford mutual assistance. 

But let me observe what it requires as the principle of the practice, 
love. " By love serve one another." 

The principle may be wanting where the service is not. And this 
may be easily proved and exemplified. A man has a sum of money to 
dispose of; he hears of a person by whom it is desired, and to whom it 
will be useful ; and he advances it on proper security. But is the bor- 
rower's need, or his own gain the motive? A hospital is built for the 
reception of poor patients. A rich man in the neighborhood becomes 
a subscriber and a patron. " He is so charitable !" Nay ; he wishes to 
maintain the character of a man of liberality ; and he fears appearing 
to a disadvantage, when compared with his wealthy neighbor. Hence 
many who give, give in a way that will be sure to make it known ; they 
therefore impart it through the medium of some other, in spite of the 
admonition, not to let the left hand know what the right hand doeth. 
Some would never give, if the name was not printed. Some connect 
themselves with public institutions, and labor to establish and enlarge 
them, who would individually do nothing ; but here they are put upon 
the committee, and gain distinction. But love seeketh not her own — it 
regards only the good of the recipient. There are four reasons why 
we should serve one another from this principle, love. 

First, without it the service has no value or excellence in the sight 
of God. It may be useful to the beneficiary, but it will be nothing to 
the benefactor. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of 
angels, and give all my goods to feed the poor, and even give my 
body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. The 
Lord looketh to the heart. If this be right, the least service is regarded 
by him ; and where it is not, the most costly sacrifices are disdained. 
" If ye love them which love you, what thank have ye ? for sinners also 
love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good 
to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And 
if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? 
for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye 
your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again ; and 
your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest ; 
for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore 
merciful, as your Father also is merciful." 

Secondly, this will render the service pleasing to the performer. It 
is the nature of love to make even difficult things easy, and bitter ones 
sweet. This made the seven years of hard labor which Jacob served 
for Rachel, seem to him as so many days. Every thing follows the 
heart not only really, but cheerfully. 

Thirdly, what is done from love, will excel in the manner. Being 
done willingly and pleasantly, it will be done more gracefully and wel- 
comely. What a man does grudgingly, he does disagreeably, harshly, 
repulsively. He puts on a sullen face ; turns himself half round ; mur- 



MARCH 12. 127 

murs and complains : perhaps reproaches too ; and if he yields at last, 
you feel no more obliged than if he refused. The ungracious, unfeeling 
mode spoils the thing. Men may act the hypocrite, but it is almost 
impossible, without love, to act courteously and kindly. But where love 
actuates, the sufferer is not insulted while he is relieved. Alms are not 
flung in his face, instead of being given. The wound of distress is not 
torn open, but gently touched with an angel-hand. I have seen, I have 
heard some refuse entirely, or in a degree, in a way that has soothed, 
and even satisfied the unsuccessful petitioner: "I wish it was in my 
power< — I lament my inability — I wish this trifle was ten times more — 
Such as it is, the blessing of God go with it." I wonder not that love 
is called a grace; I am sure it deserves the name, not only for its ori- 
gin, but for its carriage and behavior. 

Lastly, this will make the service more efficient. It will constantly 
excite us, and we shall think we have done nothing while any thing re- 
mains to be done. For love is generous. It does not stand condition- 
ing ; it will not be stinted by rules and set measures ; it does not want 
urgings and excitements, like reluctance and taskings. The person 
influenced by love cannot, without shame, sit and enjoy the luxuries of 
his table, while penury and distress are his next-door neighbors. He 
cannot go out of his road to preserve his sensibility from being shocked 
at the sight of a bleeding traveller. He will let his eye affect his heart. 
He will not say to the hungry and naked, Be ye warmed, and be ye fed, 
while he gives them not such things as are needful. He will give to 
his power, yea, and if some were to judge, beyond his power. He will 
not incapacitate himself for beneficence by indulging extravagance of 
any kind. He will labor with his own hands, and guide his affairs with 
discretion, to increase his means. He will not grow weary in well- 
doing ; and when he meets with instances of ingratitude, though he 
laments the evil, he will not suffer them to justify illiberality. 

This sweet little verse, if universally acted upon, would immediately 
turn this earth into a paradise : " Owe no man," therefore, "any thing, 
but to love one another ; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the 
law " — he hath also fulfilled the gospel too — for the " end of the com- 
mandment is charity, out of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and 
faith unfeigned." 

You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. How did he, in the 
face of our unworthiness, and foreseeing our sad returns, how did he 
look at Bethlehem and Calvary ; how did he, by love, serve us? "Be 
ye therefore followers of God, as dear children ; and walk in love, as 
Christ also loved us, and gave himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice 
to God of a sweet-smelling savor." 



128 MORNING EXERCISES. 

MARCH 13. 

"When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, 
and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them ; for the Lord thy God is with thee, 
which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." Deut. 20 : 1. 

Israel was now a camp, rather than a nation. Though Canaan 
was given them, they were to take and defend it by force of arms. 
Hitherto they had seen little of war, having had only a fewer brushes 
in their journey with inferior adversaries. But things would soon be- 
come more serious, and they would " see horses, and chariots, and a 
people more than themselves." Hence they would be liable to alarm, 
and it was necessary for them to know what they had to embolden 
them. Moses therefore admonishes and encourages them, and both the 
admonition and the encouragement will apply to ourselves. 

Religion is a state of conflict. All Christians are soldiers. They 
wage indeed a good warfare. It will bear examination. Every thing 
commends it, and every thing requires it. It is not only a just, but a 
necessary war ; all that is valuable is at stake, and we must conquer or 
die. But it is a trying warfare. It continues through every season, 
and in every condition. It is here admitted that the forces of their 
enemies may be very superior to their own, in number, wisdom, vigi- 
lance, and might. Hence the danger of apprehension and alarm. And 
fortitude is the virtue of a warrior, and none needs it more than the 
man who wrestles with all the powers of darkness. And none has more 
grounds for courageousness than he. If he considers his foes and him- 
self only, his confidence must fail him ; but he has something else to 
consider : 

First, the divine presence : " For the Lord thy God is with thee." 
And, " How many," said Antigonas to his troops, dismayed at the num- 
bers of the foe, " how many do you reckon me for ?" But God is all- 
wise and almighty. Nothing is too hard for the Lord ; and if he be 
with us, " they that be with us are more than they that be with them." 
" Greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world." 

Secondly, his former agency : "Who brought thee up out of the land 
of Egypt." This, to the Jew, was not only a proof, but a pledge ; it 
not only showed what he could do, but was a voucher for what he would 
do. For he is always the same, and will not suffer what he has done 
to be undone. It would have been strange, after opening them a pas- 
sage through the sea, to have drowned them in Jordan. What would 
he have done for his great name, after placing himself at their head to 
lead them to the land of promise, if he had suffered them to be over- 
come by the way ? He who begins the good work, is not only able to 
finish, but begins it for the very purpose. " He that spared not his own 
Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also 
freely give us all things ?" " For if, when we were enemies, we were 
reconciled to God by the death of his Son ; much more, being recon- 
ciled, we shall be saved by his life." 



MARCH 14. 129 

" Grace will complete what grace begins, 
To save from sorrows or from sins ; 
The work that Wisdom undertakes, 
Eternal Mercy ne'er forsakes." 



MARCH 14. 

" That I may win Christ." Phil. 3 : 8. 

Is this the language of Paul? Is he the candidate for Christ? How 
well might he say, that, in the subjects of divine grace, old things are 
passed away, and all things are become new. What a change must 
have taken place in his own experience. Compare the man with him- 
self. Now a blasphemer of the name of Jesus, and now asking at his 
feet, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" Now persecuting his fol- 
lowers, and now preaching the faith that once he destroyed. Now liv- 
ing a Pharisee, and boasting of his Jewish privileges and attainments ; 
now saying, " What things were gain to me, those I count loss for 
Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the excel- 
lency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord ; for whom I have 
suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may 
win Christ." 

Yet had he not won him already ? For many years he had known 
and served and enjoyed him. But intense affection makes us think that 
we are never sure enough of the object. Intense delight in any good 
makes us long after more fruition. There is this difference between a 
convinced sinner and an experienced believer in Christ: the former 
desires only from a sense of want ; the latter desires also from the rel- 
ish of the enjoyment. For he has tasted that the Lord is gracious. 
And hence he the more earnestly cries, Lord, evermore give me this 
bread. Taste provokes appetite. Advancement in knowledge pro- 
duces humility and dissatisfaction. Hence the nearer any one ap- 
proaches completeness in any thing, the more easily he discerns, and 
the more mortifyingly he feels his remaining deficiencies. And no 
wonder, therefore, the apostle should here say, " I have not attained, I 
am not already perfect ;" for here, so immense is the blessing, that what 
is possessed will never bear a comparison with what remains ; and as 
the object is infinite, and the faculty finite, there will always be a pos- 
sibility of addition ; and the happiness derivable from the Saviour will 
not only be eternal, but eternally increasing. 

But is this prize attainable by us ? In answer to this, how is he 
placed before us in the Scriptures ? Is he exhibited only to our view, 
or proposed to our hope ? Are not all allowed, invited, commanded to 
seek him, and all without exception ? And could any be condemned for 
rejecting him, if he was not placed within their reach? 

But what is necessary to make him our own? Not desert ? Wit- 
ness the characters of those who are encouraged to hope in him. He 
came to seek and to save that which was lost. He died for the un- 

Morn. Exer. 9 



130 MORNING EXERCISES. 

godly. Indeed, if any meritorious qualifications were to be possessed, 
or conditions to be performed, in order to our obtaining him, our case 
would be desperate. 

But desire is necessary. Ask, and ye shall have ; seek, and ye shall 
find. AY arrant is one thing, disposition is another ; unless we are con- 
vinced of our need of him, we cannot long after him ; and unless we 
value him, the blessing could not gratify and content us if acquired. 

Sacrifice is therefore needful; and when the desire is supremely 
urgent and active, and nothing can be a substitute for the object, we 
shall be ready to part with whatever stands in competition with him. 
Hence we read in the Scripture, of selling all to buy the pearl of great 
price. Buying, here, does not signify giving an equivalent for him, for 
who could think of this? But as in buying, to acquire something, 
something is parted with; so it is here. And whether it be the pride 
of reason, or self-righteousness, or our worldly connections and inter- 
ests, or our sins, that keep us back from him, we must forsake them all, 
and follow him. And shall we not be more, infinitely more than in- 
demnified, if we win Christ ? 



MARCH 15. 

"That I may win Christ." Phil. 3 :8. 

And what a prize is he ! The tongues of men and of angels would 
infinitely fail to do him justice. The sacred writers, though inspired, 
labor for language and imagery to aid us to conceive a little of his 
worth. He is the hope, the Saviour, the consolation, the glory of his 
people Israel. He is Lord of all. In him all fulness dwells. In win- 
ning him, we gain all pure, spiritual, durable, satisfying good. We 
gain a way to God, a justifying righteousness, a sanctifying Spirit, a 
sufficiency of grace to help in time of need, a peace that passeth all 
understanding, a joy that is unspeakable and full of glory ; we are 
blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. 

If an ancient philosopher had been asked what one thing would 
entirely have met all his wants, and satisfied all his hopes and desires, 
he would have been at a loss for an answer. But ask a Christian this 
question, and without a moment's hesitation, he replies, All I need, all 
I wish, is to " win Christ." Let me attain him, and I shall, I can look 
no farther. 

How blessed then is the winner ! He is happy now ; happy alone ; 
happy in trouble ; happy in death ; how much more happy will he be 
hereafter! By this acquisition he is raised above the condition of 
Adam in paradise, above the estate of angels in heaven. His portion 
is to be judged of by what Christ is, and by what Christ has. For he 
has won him / 

But how foolish is the despiser ! How poor ; how wretched ; how 
miserable in time ; how much more miserable in eternity ! 

How can we escape, if we neglect so great salvation ? 



MARCH 16. 131 

my soul, hear him and live : " He that findeth me findeth life, 
and shall obtain favor of the Lord : but he that sinneth against me 
wrongeth his own soul ; all they that hate me, love death." 



MARCH 16. 

" When it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by 
his grace." Gal. 1 : 15. 

Paul is here referring to two events, his natural birth, and his 
spiritual birth ; the one connecting him with the world, the other with 
the church. The former of these is common to all men, the latter is 
confined to few. The former affords us no security from the wrath to 
come : " Because they are a people of no understanding, therefore he 
that hath made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed 
them will show them no favor ;" the latter makes us heirs according 
to the hope of eternal life. 

Both these, therefore, are important. But the one is far more mo- 
mentous than the other. The multitude are not thus minded. They 
keep the day of their birth, and are thankful for the continuance of 
life, but never inquire, Has he who separated me from my mother's 
womb called me by his grace ? Has he made me not only a creature, 
but a new creature? Am I not only a partaker of that life whose days 
are few and evil, but of the life which the just live by faith, and which 
shall endure for ever ? 

This is the main thing ; and you will deem it so when conscience 
shall be awakened, when heart and flesh shall fail, and the cold hand 
of death lays hold of you to bring you into the presence of the Judge 
of all. To this therefore attend, and regard it without delay. We 
would not have you indifferent to the beauties of nature, and the boun- 
ties of providence, but let it be your chief concern to be blessed with 
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Say, with David, 
" I will praise thee ; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made : marvel- 
lous are thy works ; and that my soul knoweth right well." But Oh, 
rest not satisfied till you can say, with Paul, "He called me by his 
grace." 

Regeneration is necessary. The nature of religion demands it ; the 
nature of God demands it ; the nature of heaven demands it. " Ye 
must be born again." Observe, again. Paul, you see, had been born 
twice ; and if you are not born twice before you die once, it had been 
good for you if you had never been born. Those born once only, die 
twice ; they die a temporal, and they die an eternal death. But those 
who are born twice die only once, for on them the second death hath 
no power. 

Paul was as fully persuaded of his being called by grace, as he was 
of his having been separated from his mother's womb. What a satis- 
faction must this be to the assured individual. All are not equally 
privileged. Some have fears concerning their conversion. But even 



132 MORNING EXERCISES. 

this anxiety is a token for good. And let them remember, that there 
is a certainty attainable not only in Christian doctrine, but in Christian 
experience, and let them give all diligence, to the full assurance of hope 
unto the end. Let them wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and read 
the things that are written unto them that believe on the name of the 
Son of God, that they may know that they have eternal life. 

Little, when Paul was born, did any know what he was destined to 
be. The father embraced him ; the mother forgot her anguish, for joy 
that a man was born into the world. His birth was no way distin- 
guished from any other birth. His religious friends could not look into 
the future, nor conjecture the powers he was to develope, the space he 
was to occupy in history, the labors he was to perform, the advantages 
he was to render the human race to the end of time — nothing of all this 
could they foresee in this helpless babe. But here was the acorn of the 
oak. God saw the end from the beginning. Gamaliel's pupil, the zeal- 
ous Pharisee, the bloody persecutor, the praying penitent, the Christian 
disciple, the inspired apostle — all, all were present to His view when 
he separated him from his mother's womb. And even then he had done 
virtually what he did actually in the journey to Damascus, called him 
by his grace. Time is nothing with him. Design is accomplishment. 
Every thing has its season. All the circumstances of life and godli- 
ness, of our birth and our conversion, are arranged by infinite wisdom 
and goodness. Just and true are all thy ways, thou King of saints ; 
he hath done all things well. 

"Heaven, earth, and sea, and fire, and wind, 
Show me thy wondrous skill ; 
But I review myself, and find 
Diviner wonders still. 

Thy awful glories round me shine ; 

My flesh proclaims thy praise : 
Lord, to thy works of nature join 

Thy miracles of grace." 



MARCH 17. 

"The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him." Rom. 10 :12. 

Power and benevolence are rarely united in our fellow-creatures. 
Here is one who has abundance, but he has no disposition to do good ; 
he turns away his ear from hearing the poor, and seems to live as if he 
was born for himself only ; yea, the disposition often decreases as the 
capacity grows, so that there are some who not only give less compar- 
atively, but less really than they did when they were poorer. Then it 
hardly seemed worth their while to be covetous and to hoard ; but now 
they have the means, and the temptation conquers them. On the other 
hand, there is many a one who has bowels of mercies, but he can only 
pity, and shed unavailing tears over victims of distress. He is com- 
pelled to say only, Be ye warmed, and be ye filled, for he has it not in 



MARCH IT. 133 

his hand to give such things as are needful for the body ; his hand is 
shortened that it cannot save, though his ear is not heavy that it cannot 
hear. But some few there are in whom the means and the mind to use 
them are found united. The Lord increase their number. These are 
little images of himself, in whom we equally find greatness and good- 
ness, the resources and the readiness of compassion. " He is over all ; 
and he is rich unto all that call upon him." 

Let me look at his greatness. He is over all. All beings of every 
rank are under his absolute control. He rules over all material agents : 
over all animal agents ; over all human agents ; over the best of men, 
the greatest of men, the worst of men — over all invisible agents : over 
devils ; over angels ; over departed spirits. He is Lord both of the 
dead and the living. How astonishing then are his possessions and his 
dominion. A nation seems a great thing to us. But what is the great- 
est nation to our earth ? And what is our earth to the luminaries of 
heaven ? Many of these are discernible by the naked eye. When this 
fails, art assists nature, and Herschel sees innumerably more. "When 
the telescope fails, the imagination plunges into the immensity beyond, 
and we exclaim, Lo, these are parts of his ways ; but how small a por- 
tion is known of him ! 

Yet, for his mercy equals his majesty, the same Lord who is over 
all, "is rich unto all that call upon him." His goodness has three 
characters. 

First, it is plenteous. He is rich unto all that call upon him. Some, 
if they are bountiful, are poor in bounty. And this appears not only 
in the smallness of their gifts, but in the mode of giving. It seems done 
by constraint, not willingly and of a ready mind. It does not drop 
from them as honey from the comb, or flow like water from a spring ; it 
seems an unnatural effort. You feel no more respect when they give 
much, than when they give little ; every thing like nobleness is destroyed 
by the manner : the meanness of the disposition is betrayed ; and the 
poor-spirited mortal can no more give kindly and generously, than a 
clown can dance gracefully. But the Lord God is a sun ; he gives 
grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold. He is abundant 
in goodness and in truth. He abundantly pardons ; and while he gives 
liberally, he upbraideth not. 

Secondly, it is impartial. He is rich unto all that call upon him : 
for there is no difference between Jew and Greek. And the same will 
apply to sex and age, and calling, and condition, and character. The 
proclamations of divine grace exclude none, whatever be their circum- 
stances, and it is well they do not. If any were excluded, awakened 
souls would be sure to find themselves among the exceptions. But what 
exceptions can any find when they read, " Preach the gospel to every 
creature ;" " Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely?" 
Evangelical mercy is like Noah's ark, that took in the clean and the 
unclean, only with this difference in favor of the truth above the type ; 
there all the beasts came out as they went in, whereas if any man be in 



134 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Christ, he is a new creature. He changes all he receives, and sancti- 
fies all he saves. 

Thirdly, it is wise. He is rich unto all that call upon him. This is 
required, and cannot be dispensed with ; not only because God wills 
it, but because it seemeth good in his sight. He knows that we should 
never praise him for blessings which we do not value, and he knows 
that we never could be made happy by them. For that which gratifies, 
is something that relieves our wants, fulfils our desire, accomplishes 
our hope, and crowns our endeavors. God's way, therefore, is to make 
us sensible of our state, and to cause us to hunger and thirst after 
righteousness, and then we shall be filled ; for whoso asketh receiveth, 
and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be 
opened. 

God reveals himself not only for our encouragement, but imitation ; 
and vain is our confidence in him, without conformity to him. There- 
fore says the apostle, " Be ye followers of God, as dear children" — how ? 
in what ? — " and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and given 
himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling 
savor." Men would be like God, as the greatest of beings ; but we 
are to be like him as the best of beings. They would resemble him in 
his natural perfections, but we are to resemble him in his moral. They 
would, as he is, be over all, and gladly have every thing at their own 
disposal ; but we are to be holy as he is holy, and true as he is true, and 
patient as he is patient, and forgiving as he is forgiving, and tender as 
he is tender, and according to our resources to be rich unto all that call 
upon us. 



MARCH 18. 

" Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being 
the ninth hour." Acts 3:1. 

The associates here were Peter and John. We should not have 
noticed this particularly, had we not found them so frequently and con- 
stantly together in the Scripture. The instances will readily occur to 
all attentive readers of the New Testament. But the reasons of this 
peculiar intimacy are not mentioned. Each of the two had a brother 
among the apostles. But there is an amity superior to relationship ; 
there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. It is commonly 
supposed, that those who attract each other and unite, very much resem- 
ble each other ; whereas Peter and John seem to have been more dis- 
similar than any other two of the apostles that could have been selected. 
Yet may not the unlikeness be considered as one of the causes of this 
friendship? Peter knew the excellences of John were the opposites to 
his imperfections, and would tend to rectify them. Peter was eager 
and severe ; John was more patient and affectionate. Peter was the 
hand, John the eye. But they were the more mutually necessary to 
each other. 



MARCH 19. 135 

Peter had denied his Lord, and rendered his attachment to him 
questionable. Perhaps John had been more compassionate towards him 
after his fall, and more ready to restore him in the spirit of meekness. 
David, after his backsliding, prayed, " Let them that fear thee turn unto 
me ;" and some do this much more freely than others. 

But connections and intimacies are not always to be accounted for. 
They often depend on things impossible for us to describe. They come 
from God, who has peculiar purposes to answer, and link us together 
by invisible chains. See an instance of this : " It came to pass, when 
he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan 
was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own 
soul. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him 
as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was 
upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, 
and to his bow, and to his girdle." Though an heir apparent, Jonathan 
was at once attached to a man who was to exclude him from the suc- 
cession. But the thing was of the Lord. How often do we read of 
God's giving a man favor in the eyes of another. 

We have here a word in recommendation of friendship. It is sanc- 
tioned by Scripture and example. It is not good for man to be alone ; 
but we are not required to put even every one we love into our bosom. 
Peter had many colleagues, but one companion, one friend. 

Their friendship was religious, and instead of leading them to walk 
in the counsel of the ungodly, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in 
the seat of the scornful, it took them to the house of God in company. 
Those connections are the most valuable in which the Bible is a witness 
between us ; in which another world is not forgotten ; in which we are 
bound by faith and love which are in Christ Jesus ; in which we walk 
together as heirs of the grace of life, that our prayers be not hindered. 

We see that public devotion has claims upon us. God has com- 
manded us not to "forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the 
manner of some is ;" and he has said, " In all places where I record my 
name, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." The worship of 
the sanctuary enlivens our feelings, endears us to each other, and keeps 
the distinctions of life from becoming excessive. There the rich and 
the poor meet together, and seek and serve a Being with whom there 
is no respect of persons. Happy they who love the place where his 
honor dwelleth. Let me always avail myself of the duty, the privilege, 
and be glad when they say unto me, Let us go up into the house of the 
Lord. 



MARCH 19. 



"Ask thy father, and he will show thee ; thy elders, and they will tell thee." Deut. 
32:7. 

There is much truth in the proverb, He that will learn of none but 
himself, is sure to have a fool for his master. . The way to advance in 



136 MORNING EXERCISES. 

knowledge, is to be sensible of our own deficiencies, and willing to avail 
ourselves of assistance. The cause of all errors is pride ; for though 
we are ignorant, and unable to guide ourselves, there is an infallible 
Instructor, under whose teachings we may place ourselves. " If any of 
you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, 
and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him." 

And there are others that may be subordinately consulted ; they 
possess and can impart a little of his judgment, for in his light they see 
light. The priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek 
the law at his mouth ; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. 
And not only ministers, but private Christians may be useful; yea, and 
unlearned Christians, and poor and afflicted Christians, who walk much 
with God, and draw in their irradiations immediately from the Scrip- 
tures. Indeed, there is hardly a being, however inferior to ourselves in 
some respects, but being better versed in others, can teach us some- 
thing. A wise man will learn more from a fool, than a fool will learn 
from a thousand wise men. The Scripture sends us even to the brute 
creation : " Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee ; and the 
fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee." " Go to the ant, thou slug- 
gard ; consider her ways, and be wise." 

" But I said, days should speak, and multitude of years should teach 
wisdom." It is true, " great men are not always wise ; neither do the 
aged understand judgment ;" yet they must have had many more oppor- 
tunities for observation and decision than others ; and God obviously 
intended to place some under the tuition of others. We were designed 
to live in a state of connection with, and dependence upon each other ; 
and while the old need the strength and activeness of the young, the 
young need the prudence and counsel of the old. Therefore says Peter, 
" Ye youuger, submit yourselves unto the elder." In the young, nothing 
can be more offensive than self-sufficiency. Surely they must acknow- 
ledge, that those who are much older than themselves have at least the 
advantage of experience, which is commonly the slow growth of time, 
and is the most valuable of all knowledge. And when young people so 
often err in the connections they form, and the steps they take, and the 
hazards they run into, is it not from that self-confidence which deems 
advice needless ? They are not sober-minded, but think more highly of 
themselves than they ought to think. 

But what advantage do we derive from writing and printing. The 
birds and beasts are no wiser now than when they went to Noah for 
shelter, and to Adam for names. It is nearly the same with savage life : 
knowledge is not preserved, transmitted, and increased, for want of 
books. But in consequence of these helps, the improvements of one 
age flow into another, and the stream is continually enlarging by the 
influx of additional discoveries. By means of them, we can consult the 
dead as well as the living ; for though dead, they yet speak. And we 
can hold converse with Bacon and Boyle, with Luther and Leighton ; 
and can be alone with them, and be with them in their best moments, 



MARCH 20. 137 

and when they are most ready to communicate. Yea, by the Scriptures 
we can associate with Paul and Isaiah, with Moses and the patriarchs, 
and can sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom 
of God. 



MARCH 20. 

"Be merciful unto me, Lord; for I cry unto thee daily." Psa. 86 : 3. 

So David, though a man after God's own heart, and perhaps the 
greatest proficient in experimental and devotional piety before the 
coming of Christ, felt his need of mercy, and sought it daily. Let us 
follow his example, and cry daily 

For pardoning mercy. It is well for us that he is ready to forgive. 
Who can understand his errors? In many things we offend all. What 
omissions of duty are we chargeable with. If our actions are materially 
good, how defective are their principle and motive. The sins of our 
holy things would condemn us. Usher, one of the best as well as one 
of the greatest of men, therefore said he hoped to die with the words 
of the publican in his mouth, God be merciful to me a sinner ; and he 
died pronouncing them. And Paul, after eulogizing Onesiphorus so 
highly for his good works, adds, " The Lord grant that he may find 
mercy of the Lord in that day ;" he, even he would need mercy to the 
last, and above all, at the last. And where is the man who, in pros- 
pect of that day, must not fall upon his knees, and pray, " Enter not 
into judgment with thy servant, Lord ; for in thy sight shall no flesh 
living be justified ?" 

Let us cry daily for sanctifying mercy. We cannot be in a proper 
state of mind if we only see the guilt of sin, and not the pollution also ; 
if our fear only be excited, and not our aversion ; if we are concerned 
to be delivered from the wrath to come, but not to be " saved by the 
washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost." "I 
want," says the Christian, " true holiness. I want to bear more of the 
image of the heavenly. I want to be purified even as he is pure." 

Let us cry daily for assisting mercy. What can we do alone in our 
trials and our duties, in our calling as men, and our vocation as Chris- 
tians ? We cannot see to-morrow with the light of to-day, nor will our 
present food yield us future support ; we must have fresh supplies of 
light and of food. And we must have fresh supplies of the Spirit of 
Jesus Christ, to help our infirmities, to renew our strength, and to enable 
us to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. We must 
live in the Spirit, that we may walk in the Spirit. 

Let us cry daily for preserving mercy. Our reputation, our sub- 
stance, our business, our health, every thing is exposed ; and he is the 
preserver of men. But the great thing is the soul. To what dangers 
is not this liable ! And he who knows his perils and himself, will not 
only watch, but pray, lest he enter into temptation. He knows that 
God alone can keep him from falling, and that without him he can no 



138 



MORNING EXERCISES. 



more stand than a staff when the hand is withdrawn. Therefore his 
language will be, "Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe." 

Let us cry daily for providing mercy. He has taught us this : when 
we pray, say, " Give us day by day our daily bread." Bread signifies 
sustenance at large, but the word employed is wisely chosen ; it is to 
teach us moderation. We are not to pray for dainties, but to be feci 
with food convenient for us. Our necessity, as well as safety, if prop- 
erly consulted, will keep us from seeking great things to ourselves. 
Nature wants little, and grace less. 

Let us cry daily for guiding mercy. How much depends, not only 
upon a wrong course, but even a wrong step. It may give a new charac- 
ter to my condition. It may quarter upon me repentance for life. And 
" the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to 
direct his steps." What a privilege that He who cannot err, is as will- 
ing as he is able to lead me ! To him alone let me repair, and on him 
alone depend, saying, as the language both of choice and of confidence, 
" Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterwards receive me to 
glory." 

Then daily prayer will be turned into ceaseless praise, and I shall 
sing of the mercy of the Lord for ever. 



MARCH 21. 

" The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty ; he will save, he will rejoice over 
thee with joy." Zeph. 3 :17. 

It is obvious he can save, for he is in the midst of them, and mighty. 
Here is nearness and power ; he is therefore able to save to the utter- 
most, whatever be the heinousness of guilt, or the depravity of nature, 
or the extremity of danger, or the depth of distress. 

But he will save ; he is inclined, he is engaged, he is bound by prom- 
ise and oath and blood. 

Neither does he repent of the obligation under which he has been 
pleased to bring himself: neither does he perform the work with reluc- 
tance : he will save, he will rejoice over them with joy. 

Are they his vineyard ? I the Lord do keep it ; I will water it 
every moment ; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. Are 
they his sheep ? " The Lord shall save them in that day, as the flock 
of his people : neither shall the beast of the field devour them ; but 
they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. " 

But what is this salvation? It does not exclude temporal preser- 
vation and deliverance. He knows how to deliver the godly out of 
temptation. If he does not find a way, he can easily make one. Thus 
he saved Joseph from prison, and David from the paw of the lion and 
the bear, and the uncircumcised Philistine, and Elijah from famine, and 
Jonah from the belly of hell. 

We are not to look for miracles, but we may look for him who per- 
formed them, and who has said, I will be with thee in trouble. He has 



MARCH 22. 139 

all events at his control ; he is always the same : his hand is not short- 
ened, that it cannot save ; neither is hi3 ear heavy, that it cannot hear. 
A distinction, however, is to be here observed. Temporal deliverances 
are promised conditionally. He could not have promised them otherwise. 
It would be rather a threatening than a promise, were he to engage to 
relieve and indulge you, whether it be good for you or evil. And it 
might be evil ; and though you may not be aware of it, he can foresee 
it, and will prevent it. He has therefore said, They that seek the Lord 
shall not want any good thing. As to your property, he can make a 
hedge about all that you have. As to your reputation, he can hide you 
in the secret of his pavilion from the strife of tongues. As to your 
body, he can keep all your bones so that not one of them shall be bro- 
ken ; and if it be good for you, he will, he must do it. But if it should 
be otherwise, he will disappoint your wishes and hopes, and make the 
privation the privilege. 

But as to the soul Ah, what did you mean when you first asked, 
" What shall I do to be saved ?" when you first prayed, " Save me, 
and I shall be saved?" You thought of nothing earthly then, but of 
redemption from the curse of the law ; of deliverance from the powers 
of darkness ; of freedom from the sting of death ; of release from the 
dominion and being of sin. And it was said unto you. "Believe on the 
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." And this salvation is 
insured ; this salvation is begun. You are already justified by his 
blood, and saved from wrath through him. You are already renewed 
in the spirit of your mind. You have already the earnest of your in- 
heritance, and taste some of the grapes of Eshcol. And as to the com- 
pletion, now is your salvation nearer than when you believed. The 
night is far spent : the day is at hand. 

And what is every thing besides ? All well with the soul j all well 
for eternity ; a smiling God ; an opening heaven ! 

" A hope so much divine 
May trials well endure." 



MARCH 22. 



11 Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some 
strange thing happened unto you." 1 Pet. 4 : 12. 

Are we then, before we really suffer, to suffer in imagination, tor- 
menting ourselves with gloomy fears, and imbittering present comfort 
by future apprehension ? No. 

But neither are we to indulge presumption. We are to consider 
difficulties as well as advantages, and though light is sweet, and a 
pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun, yet we are to re- 
member also the days of darkness, for they shall be many. If we do 
not admit the possibility of disappointment and distress, we shall, when 
they occur, be dismayed and confounded, and say, If I am his, why am 
I thus ? What is unexpected is overpowering ; it does not leave us, 



140 MORNING EXERCISES. 

for the time, the use either of reason or religion, and we resemble a 
soldier who, while seeking his weapons, gives the enemy an advantage 
ao*ainst him. But to be forewarned, is to be forearmed ; and what we 
reckon upon in the course of an enterprise, confirms, by the event, the 
reasonableness of our scheme. The apostle would not have us to be 
surprised, or deem it a strange thing, even if our trial should be fiery. 
A strange thing is a thing unlooked for, and which we had no reason 
to expect. But is this the case with our afflictions ? 

Think of the ordinary state of humanity. Man is born to trouble 
as the sparks fly upward, and is it strange that he should inherit? 
How numerous and how delicate are the organs of the body ; yet they 
are constantly in use and in danger. To how many accidents are we 
exposed ! How many seeds of disorder are lodged within us ! Every 
possession makes us capable of loss ; every connection, of bereavement ; 
every enjoyment, of grief ; every hope, of fear. The wonder is, that 
we are ever free from trouble. 

Hear the declarations of Scripture : " Many are the afflictions of the 
righteous." " In the world ye shall have tribulation." " Through much 
tribulation you must enter the kingdom." Are these the true sayings 
of God? 

Trace the history of his people. However dear to God, or eminent 
in grace, which of them escaped ? 

" The path of sorrow, and that path alone, 
Leads to the land where sorrow is unknown : 
No traveller e'er reached that blessed abode, 
Who found not thorns and briars on the road." 

Is this only the language of poetry ? " What son is he," asked the 
apostle, "whom the father chasteneth not?" "As many as I love," 
says God, " I rebuke and chasten." 

Consider the disposition of the world : " Marvel not if the world 
hate you." If they hate the light, they are not likely to love those who 
diffuse it. The principles and walk of the Christian reproach and con- 
demn not only the profane, but many who would pass for religious, but 
who deny the power of godliness, while they have the form. The mere 
moral and pharisaical are often the bitterest enemies of evangelical 
piety. The rule was once deemed without exception : " Yea, and all 
that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." The ab- 
sence of it now is owing not to the want of disposition, but power. 
Many things restrain it, yet it is restrained only in the degree. The 
hand is tied, but the tongue is free ; and how does it deal with the de- 
cided followers of the Lamb ? And what is the carnal mind, but enmity 
against God? 

Survey the Christian's spiritual imperfections and necessities. With- 
out suffering, how can they resemble the Saviour ; and be weaned from 
the world ; and be witnesses for God ; and be prepared for usefulness ? 
Can the welfare of the year dispense with winter ? Is it a strange 
thing for the husbandman to plough up the fallow ground, to receive 



MARCH 23. 141 

the seed ; or for the vinedresser to prune the vine ; or for the refiner 
to put his gold into the furnace ? Such a needs-be is there for all our 
afflictions, and he only who is ignorant of it can wonder at the event. 

But, Christian, while you look for the fiery trial, so as not to be 
astonished at the experience, remember you have enough to encourage 
you. He who died for you, and rose again, and rules over all, has 
made provision for every condition in which you shall be found. As 
thy sufferings abound, thy consolation shall abound also. If the way 
be rough, thy shoes shall be iron and brass ; and as thy day, so shall 
thy strength be, till the last tear is wiped away, and all shall be peace 
and quietness and assurance for ever. 



MARCH 23. 

" I know whom I have believed." 2 Tim. 1 : 12. 

Or trusted, as it is in the margin. This is preferable. The apostle 
is referring to an act of confidence rather than of belief, and which was 
expressed by his intrusting the Saviour with a deposit, or committing 
his soul into his hands. 

The knowledge of which he speaks is not only or principally the 
knowledge he had of the Lord Jesus before he believed on him. He 
had indeed such' a knowledge, and he must have had, for how can we 
believe on him of whom we have not heard? And who would commit 
a jewel to a stranger ? Who would walk over a deep abyss without 
inquiring whether the plank was sound or rotten ? Ignorance in such 
a case would render confidence the act of a fool, whereas faith in Christ 
is wisdom ; and when a man commits his eternal all to him, he has the 
highest reason in the world for so doing. This previous knowledge, 
however, is derived entirely from testimony. 

But there is also a subsequent knowledge derived from experience, 
and he that believeth hath the witness in himself. He knows the bit- 
terness of gall, and the sweetness of honey, not from report, but from 
taste. My conscience, says he, was burdened, and I found no relief 
till I applied to the blood of sprinkling. Without Him, I can do noth- 
ing ; but I know that his grace is sufficient for me, for I have made the 
trial of it, both in duty and in distress. I have read and heard much of 
his excellency, and I have put it to the proof. He is now a tried friend 
and benefactor. I have tried much and often his power, faithfulness, 
and care, and have found them trustworthy. I therefore feel satisfac- 
tion in reviewing what I have done. I have often been imposed upon, 
often played the fool, but not here. Of many things I have repented, 
but the longer I live, the less am I disposed to repent of this transac- 
tion. I have examined it in the retirement of the closet, in the light 
of Scripture, in the view of death and eternity, and the more I consider 
it, the more I approve and glory in the deed. And I will recommend 
the same to others — and I can speak with the boldness and earnestness 
of conviction, for I know whom I have believed. 



142 MORNING EXERCISES. 

And here we see the value of this knowledge. It increases reliance 
and confidence. Hence says David, "They that know thy name will 
put their trust in thee ;" that is, they will trust with more ease and 
more firmness. Whence arise many of the doubts and fears of Chris- 
tians, but from their living more upon their frames and feelings than 
upon the clear and full views of the truth as it is in Jesus ? As soon 
as ever you have committed a valuable treasure to any one, you become 
alive to his character ; and unless you are well acquainted with it, every 
surmising, every loose report, every dark and unexplained circumstance 
may trouble and terrify the heart, even though the deposit may be se- 
cure ; for, though the safety of the deposit depends on the goodness of 
his character, your satisfaction depends upon your knowledge of it. 

Let me, therefore, be concerned to grow in grace, and also — and 
for this very purpose — in the knowledge of my Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ. Let me search the Scriptures, for they are they that testify of 
him. Let me attend his house, and the preaching of his word. Let me 
converse much with those who have been much with him. Let me 
earnestly implore the influence of the Holy Spirit, who, says the Sav- 
iour, shall glorify me, for he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto 
you. Paul, after such a length of acquaintance, and such a depth of 
intimacy, not only said, " I count all things but loss for the excellency 
of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord," but " that I may know 
him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffer- 
ings, being made conformable unto his death." 



MARCH 24. 
" I will walk in thy truth." Psa. 86 : 11. 

Every resolution expressed by a good man in a proper frame of 
mind, will be founded, not in self-confidence, but in dependence on di- 
vine grace. Then it will be useful ; it will tend to stimulate and to 
humble,, to bring to remembrance and to bind ; it will be like a hedge 
that defends the field, or like the hemming that keeps the robe from 
ravelling out. " I will walk in thy truth," is a noble resolution, and 
worthy our imitation. 

Walking, in the Scripture, takes in the whole of our conversation or 
conduct, and to walk in any thing, intends a fulness of it. For a man 
to walk in pride, is something more than to be proud ; it says, that pride 
is his way, his element, that he is wholly under the influence of it. 

Four ways we should thus walk in God's truth : 

"We should walk in the belief o£ his truth. It deserves our credence. 
It is a faithful saying, as well as worthy of all acceptation. If we re- 
ceive the witness of man, the witness of God is greater. Men are very 
tenacious of the honor of their word. If their veracity be denied, they 
instantly demand satisfaction for the insult. How often is God made 
a liar ! How slow of heart are we to believe all that the prophets have 
spoken ! " Lord, increase our faith." 



MARCH 24. 143 

We should walk in the practice of his truth. This is as necessary as 
the former, and the evidence of it, for we are to show our faith by our 
works. Faith without works, is as the body without the soul ; there is 
nothing vital or operative in it. The gospel is a doctrine according to 
godliness ; every part of it has a practical tendency, and we are re- 
quired to obey it from the heart. It is well to hear, but hearing is to 
be viewed in the order of means, and not as an end. "Blessed are they 
that hear the word of God, and keep it? " If ye know these things, 
happy are ye if ye do them." 

We should walk in the enjoyment of his truth. For it is not only of 
a sanctifying, but a consolatory nature ; it brings us glad tidings of 
great joy ; ft is all written for our learning, that we, through patience 
and comfort of the Scripture, might have hope. If, therefore, our con- 
versation becometh the gospel, it will be happy as well as holy. Thus it 
was with the first Christians ; they walked not only in the fear of the 
Lord, but in the comforts of the Holy Ghost. They were not free from 
trouble, but as the sufferings of Christ abounded in them, the consola- 
tion also abounded by Christ. They were not free from complaint and 
self- abhorrence, but in his name they rejoiced all the day, and in his 
righteousness were exalted. Of themselves they felt they could do 
nothing, but they were strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and 
through him they could do all things. They knew not what a day 
would bring forth, but they were careful for nothing, casting all their 
care on him who cared for them. The gospel did not shut them up in 
a dungeon of doubts and fears ; they knew the truth, and the truth 
made them free indeed, and they walked in the glorious liberty of the 
sons of God. 

We should walk in the profession of his truth. If we know the joy- 
ful sound so as to be blessed by it, we shall feel this yoke easy, and this 
burden light. We shall not act to be seen of men, but we shall have 
no objection that men should see us. Praise will not draw us out of a 
corner, and fear will not drive us into one. We shall be willing for 
all to know that we are not our own, but his who bought us with a 
price ; and that we are not only bound, but determined to glorify him 
in our bodies and spirits. For his love will constrain us not only to 
confess him with the mouth, but with the life, for actions speak louder 
than words : despising in our eyes a vile person, but honoring them 
that fear the Lord ; attending only where his truth is preached, and his 
glory is maintained, and going forth to him without the camp, bearing 
his reproach. 

If we are thus governed, we shall be a credit and a comfort to our 
ministers, who have no greater joy than to hear of their children walk- 
ing in the truth. We shall hold forth the word of life, and cause them 
to rejoice in the day of Christ, that they have not run in vain, nor la- 
bored in vain. We shall adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all 
things. We shall be fellow-helpers to the truth, and the Judge will 
graciously say, "They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy." 



144 MORNING EXERCISES. 

MARCH 25. 

" The Lord knoweth the days of the upright ; and their inheritance shall be for ever." 
Psa. 37:18. 

Every thing here requires attention. 

The persons : " The upright." The upright mean those who are sin- 
cere sincere in their dealings with their fellow-creatures, with their 

own souls, and with their God. The character is equally rare and ex- 
cellent. It admits of imperfection, but not of partiality ; and is never 
found separate from the renewing of the Holy Ghost. 

The period: "Their days." These are "known of God." This 
knowledge being spoken of as a privilege, something more than mere 
intelligence must be intended ; for in this sense, He knows the days of 
the wicked, as well as of the upright. The meaning is, that he knows 
them kindly and graciously ; that he feels and will acknowledge his 
concern in them, and make them all work together for their good. He 
knows their number. This is with him. He has appointed it : friends 
cannot enlarge, enemies cannot reduce it. They are immortal till their 
work is done. He knows the nature of them, and he determines it. 

Have they days of affliction ? He knows them — knows their source, 
their pressure, how long they have continued, the support they require, 
and the proper time to remove them. Have they days of danger? He 
knows them, and will be a refuge and defence in them. Have they 
days of duty? He knows them, and will furnish the strength and the 
help they require. Have they days of inaction, when they are laid 
aside from their work by accident or disease? He knows them, and 
says to his servants, under every prevention, " It is well that it was 
in thy heart." Have they days of privation when they are denied the 
ordinances of religion, after seeing his power and glory in the temple, 
and going with the voice of gladness to keep holy day ? He knows 
them, and will follow his people when they cannot follow him, and be a 
little sanctuary to them in their losses. Have they days of declension 
and of age, in which their strength is fled, and their senses fail, and so 
many of their connections have gone down to the dust — evil days, wherein 
they have no pleasure? He knows them, and says, " I remember thee, 
the kindness of thy youth. Even to old age I am he, and to hoar hairs 
will I bear and carry you." 

The portion : " Their inheritance shall be for ever." So was not the 
inheritance of many of the angels in heaven, for they kept not their 
first estate. So was not the inheritance of Adam in paradise, for the 
Lord drove out the man. So was not the inheritance of the Jews in 
Canaan, for the glory of all lands was made a desolation. So is not 
the inheritance of the man of the world : his portion is in this life. 
And what is this but a vapor, a shadow ? Yet at the end of it he is 
stripped of all, and departs as naked as he came. Yea, and before the 
close, his hopes and comforts may be all laid bare. For, 
" Short-lived as we are, yet our pleasures, we see, 
Have a much shorter date, and die sooner than •we." 



MARCH 26. 145 

But the Christian has not only being and health, and riches and honor, 
and peace and joy and friendship, but all these for ever ! 

Indeed, the more important and valuable the acquisition, the more 
miserable he would feel if there was any uncertainty in the continuance. 
The thought of loss, and even of danger, would imbitter all. But it is for 
ever — for ever ! Yea, it will be always increasing. After millions of 
years we shall be singing a new song. 

In the world we may have losses, but they cannot affect our estate. 
"I one day," says Mr. Newton, "visited a family that had suffered by 
a fire, which had destroyed all the house and the goods. I found the 
pious mistress in tears. I said, Madam, I give you joy. Surprised and 
ready to be offended, she exclaimed, What, joy that all my property is 
consumed ? I give you joy that you have so much property that no fire 
can touch. This turn checked the grief, and she wiped her tears, and 
smiled like the sun shining after an April shower." Thus the Hebrews 
took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing in themselves that in 
heaven they had a better and an enduring substance- 



MAECH 26. 

" And now I have told you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, ye 
might believe." John 14 : 29. 

He refers to what he had said concerning his death and resurrec- 
tion, his sufferings and glory. As nothing befell him by chance, so noth- 
ing took him by surprise. All was laid out in his view, and he saw the 
end from the beginning, and foretold it all before any of it had come to 
pass. For what purpose? "That when it is come to pass," says he, "ye 
might believe." 

Hence we see the importance of faith. This is what he always 
required in those he healed. " Only believe," said he to the ruler of 
the synagogue. He said to his disciples, with regard to the death of 
Lazarus, " I am glad, for your sakes, that I was not there, to the intent 
ye may believe." If a man wishes a tree to grow, he waters not the 
branches, but the root. Holy tempers and good works are the fruits of 
religion : faith is the root ; and as this is enlivened, every thing in the 
divine life prospers. Unbelief makes God a liar, renders the Scripture 
a nonentity, and leaves the soul open to every sin. But he that believ- 
eth shall be saved. Yea, he hath everlasting life. By faith we stand, 
walk, live. We are justified, we are sanctified by faith. Faith puri- 
fies the heart, and overcometh the world. Unless we believe, we shall 
not be established. We are filled with all joy and peace in believing. 
We read of the joy of faith, the prayer of faith, the work of faith, the 
obedience of faith, the fight of faith ; every thing is ascribed to faith 
in the word of God. 

Here we learn, also, that there may be an improvement in faith, 
where the principle is already found. Did not these disciples believe 
at this very time? They had been with him from the beginning. They 

Morn. Exer. 10 



146 MORNING EXERCISES. 

had heard his sayings, and witnessed his miracles, and seen his glory. 
And they believed on him too, and had left all to follow him. But 
they did not sufficiently believe. Their faith was too obscure in its 
views, too feeble in its hold, too powerless in its operation. Are there 
not, then, degrees in godliness? May there not be a growth in grace? 
Does not Paul tell the Thessalonians that their faith grew exceedingly ? 
And how desirable is this progress. The strong in faith have a thou- 
sand advantages above the weak. The latter have a heaven hereafter ; 
the former have a heaven here too. And if the apostles were defective, 
and said, Lord, increase our faith, what need have we to cry out with 
tears, like the father of the child, " Lord, I believe ; help thou mine 
unbelief!' 7 

We remark, also, that one of the best means of increasing and 
establishing our faith is, to compare the word and the works of the 
Lord together. This was the help and advantage he would here insure 
to his disciples : " Now I have told you before it come to pass, that 
when it is come to pass, ye might believe." So did the church in the 
time of David : " As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of our 
God." We have heard the promises, and we have seen the fulfilment. 
We have heard the threatenings, and we have seen the execution. We 
have heard the doctrine, and we have seen the practice. As soon as 
Jesus had said, " Go thy way, thy son liveth," the nobleman "believed," 
and went his way. " But as he was now going down, his servants met 
him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then inquired he of them the 
hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at 
the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at 
the same hour in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth ; and 
himself believed, and his whole house." That is, he now believed more 
firmly and impressively ; and this was the consequence of comparison. 
Thus facts are yielding us constant and growing evidence of the truth 
of God's word. Upon this principle, apostates and scoffers do not 
scandalize us — the Scripture tells us they will come. We read in the 
Scripture, "the way of transgressors is hard ;" that "he who walketh 
uprightly, walketh surely ;" that " the merciful shall obtain mercy ;" that 
" the way of the slothful is a hedge of thorns ;" and how little must he 
have observed the experience of others, or consulted his own, who is 
not every day more convinced of the truth of these declarations. 

Finally, does not this clearly intimate that the benefit to be derived 
from prophecy is subsequent to its accomplishment? " Now I have told 
you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, ye might be- 
lieve." He mentions the same thing in several other places ; and we 
are informed, in more than one instance, of the result. Thus we read, 
"When, therefore, he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered 
that he had said this unto them ; and they believed the scripture and 
the word which Jesus had said." So also, when they had witnessed 
his "zeal" in purifying the temple, "his disciples remembered that it 
was written, The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up." Thus we see 



MARCH 27.. 147 

our remark justified. And indeed, how can it be otherwise? "Where 
is the evidence of the truth of prophecy before it come to pass ? You 
say, a God who cannot lie hath spoken it. But God himself does not 
demand our faith on the announcement, but on the event. And how 
little can it be understood beforehand, unless as to its general bear- 
ings. A definite and particular acquaintance with the contents of 
divine predictions would derange the order of providence, and in many 
cases hinder the effect. Had this fact been duly considered, much time 
and attention would have been more profitably employed, than in 
attempts to open the seals and blow the trumpets and pour out the 
vials of the Apocalypse. There is no prophet among us, nor any 
that telleth how long ; yet there are, as Fuller calls them, " fortune- 
tellers of the church." Pastors have been drawn away from their 
proper work ; and " the hungry sheep look up, and are not fed." And 
sinners are not converted from the error of their ways. For even 
allowing the views advanced with so much presumption to be just and 
true, they are not repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord 
Jesus Christ. The apostle preached a crucified Saviour, and determined 
to know nothing else. 

It is not for us to know the times or the seasons which the Father 
hath put in his own power. He has intrusted us with his commands, 
but not with his decrees. " The secret things belong unto the Lord 
our God ; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and our 
children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." 



. MARCH 27. 
"He hath done all things well." Mark 7 : 37. 

A great commendation, but deserved. Human excellences are rare 
and individual. One man does one thing well, another does another 
thing well ; but He does all things well. The little men do well, is only 
comparatively well ; all He does, is absolutely well. And this will appear, 
whether we consider him as the Creator, and survey the works of nature, 
or as the Saviour, and contemplate the wonders of grace, or as the 
Governor, and examine the dispensations of his providence. 

We have some fine specimens of his agency recorded in the Scrip- 
ture. Take, for instance, the history of Joseph. Read it over again 
and again, and then ask, Could any link in this chain, any stone in this 
structure have been omitted? In this achievement, could any thing 
have been added to the plan or the execution ? From a part we may 
estimate the whole. And what applies to his dealings with others, will 
apply to his dealings with us ; for all the ways of the Lord are mercy 
and truth. 

But whence then is it, that we cannot really and readily, with regard 
to his agency in our affairs, and especially in those of a trying nature, 
adopt the acknowledgment, and say, He hath done all things well ? 

The reason is, we judge atheistically. Every unregenerate sinner 



148 MORNING EXERCISES. 

lives without God in the world. But a Christian is made to differ from 
others, and from himself. Yet his sanctification is not complete. Some- 
thing is left in him of all the old kinds of leaven ; and therefore some- 
thing of this atheism. He is in a good frame when, with Eli, he can 
say of whatever befalls him, " It is the Lord ; let him do what seemeth 
him good." But he does not always see him. He sometimes stops at 
the instrumentality employed : Oh, it was that unlucky accident ; it 
was that heedless servant ; it was that perfidious neighbor ; it was that 
cruel enemy. No wonder He does not do all things well, when he is 
not acknowledged as doing any thing. 

We judge selfishly. We are not to view ourselves as detached indi- 
viduals. We are parts of a whole, and variously connected with 
others. What is not good for us personally, may be good for us rela- 
tively. Suppose a trying dispensation makes us more tender and com- 
passionate towards our fellow-creatures and our fellow- Christians ; 
suppose a distressing experience gives us the tongue of the learned, and 
enables us to speak a word in season to him that is weary ; suppose, as 
witnesses and examples of the power and excellency of the gospel, we 
arouse the careless, and confirm the wavering ; is there not enough here 
to call for our resignation and praise? Ezekiel was deprived of the 
desire of his eye with a stroke ; to himself this was painful, but it was 
profitable to his ministry, and useful to his charge ; and this was the 
design of it. No man liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. 

We judge carnally. What is not pleasing may yet be beneficial ; 
and natural evil may be moral good. When things are agreeable to 
our wishes, we never think of any difficulty in the divine proceedings. 
While we have ease and health and friends, and success in business, we 
never complain of the darkness of Providence. But as soon as there 
is any reverse, then we groan out, " His way is in the sea, his path in 
the deep waters, and his footsteps are not known ;" as if every thing 
was to be estimated by our accommodation and convenience — as if God 
acted wisely or unwisely, righteously or unrighteously, just as his doings 
affect us, and affect, too, not our best interests, but our present and 
temporal. Is it wonderful that we who deserve stripes, should feel 
the rod; that we who need correction, should meet with chastisement? 
Is it mysterious that the vine should be pruned, the ground ploughed, 
the gold tried in the fire? If the child now thinks certain restraints 
and privations and rebukes to which the father subjects him needless 
and harsh, he will more than approve of them when he comes to years 
of maturity. 

We judge prematurely. He that believeth maketh not haste. It is 
good for a man not only to hope, but quietly wait for the salvation of 
God ; and one reason is, because it will prevent a wrong conclusion. 
" Therefore," says the apostle, "judge nothing before the time, until the 
Lord come." You would not judge of the abilities of the limner from 
the unfinished sketch, but you would wait till the canvas had received 
the last touches of his masterly pencil. You would not judge of the 



MARCH 28. 149 

perfection of a building from the digging of the foundation, and the 
coarse materials lying in a kind of disorder all around, especially if you 
had never seen the plan or the model ; but you would stay till the parts 
were all put together in their places, and the top-stone brought forward 
with shouting. Let us stay till God has done. "What I do," says he, 
thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." Then every 
thing will speak for itself. Then we shall walk, not by faith, but by 
sight. Then we shall see what we now believe, and for ever acknow- 
ledge, " He is the Rock, his work is perfect ; for all his ways are judg- 
ment : a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he." 



MARCH 28. 



u Hereafter I will not talk much with you ; for the prince of this world cometh, and 
hath nothing in me." John 14 : 30. 

There are many talkers, profane talkers, indecent talkers, foolish 
talkers, vain talkers ; and there are some who are wise and good talk- 
ers, their lips are as a well-spring of life. But He was perfectly wise 
and good. Oh, to have heard him "talk!" The term is applied to his 
more public teaching : " While he yet talked to the people." And had 
some of his ministers spoken more in a familiar and conversational 
mode, they would have resembled him more, and the poor would have 
had the gospel preached unto them, and the common people would have 
heard them gladly, and the children in the temple would have cried 
Hosanna. 

It is here intimated that he had talked " much" with them. He was 
never reserved. If he kept back any thing from them, it was because 
at the time they could not bear it. He treated them not as servants, 
but as friends, for all things that he had heard of the Father he made 
known unto them. He always instructed and reproved and encouraged 
them as the occasion required. He seized every opportunity for relig- 
ious discourse, and levied a tax of spiritual profit upon every natural 
object and every providential occurrence that presented itself. He 
could not see a sower going forth to sow, or a fisherman drawing his 
net ashore, or a woman drawing water, but he derived from it a para- 
ble or an illustration — teaching his followers to be social and commu- 
nicative in divine things, and, for this purpose, to cultivate their under- 
standing, and to be filled with the Spirit. For out of the abundance of 
the heart the mouth speaketh. How can much religious discourse be 
expected from those who have so little of the life of God in them ? If, 
for the sake of consistency, they sometimes make the attempt, it must 
be a task, and they will soon drop into what is more natural to them, a 
conversation empty as the wind, and barren as the sand. 

But " hereafter " he would not talk much with them — not from disin- 
clination, but for want of intercourse. Their opportunities would soon 
be over, for he was going to leave them. With regard also to us, it is 
probable as to some, and certain as to others, that we have heard and 



150 MORNING EXERCISES. 

read much more than we ever shall read or hear in future. Yet a little 
while is the light with us. 

The way in which he refers to his removal from them, by his suffer- 
ing and death, is remarkable : " For the prince of this world cometh, 
and hath nothing in me." 

He marks, first, the character of his adversary, the prince of this 
world. He is not so by right, but usurpation, and by God's allowing 
him power over those who provoke him. When the traitor had re- 
ceived the sop, Satan entered into him. He was in him before, but his 
agency was under restraints. These restraints were then all taken away, 
and the devil had his victim entirely to himself. Israel would have 
none of him, so he gave them up to their own hearts' lust. All who walk 
according to the course of this world, walk according to the prince of 
the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of dis- 
obedience. They may imagine themselves to be free, and many of them 
make a figure in the eye of sense, but faith sees them taken captive by 
the devil at his will, and held in the vilest subjection ; he is their 
prince, yea, according to the apostle, he is the god of this world, and, in 
reality, they not only obey, but worship him. 

Secondly, he sees his approach : " He cometh. 7 ' Not personally — 
so he had come to him in the wilderness, and been foiled — but in his 
instruments : in Judas, that betrayed him ; in Peter, that denied him ; 
in his disciples, that forsook him and fled ; in Herod, that threatened 
him ; in Pilate, that condemned him ; in the Jews, that clamored for his 
blood ; and in the Romans, that shed it. " One of you," says our Lord, 
"is a devil ;" he gives him the name, because he bore his image, and 
did his work, "The devil," we read, "shall cast some of you into 
prison." Is the devil a justice of the peace ? No ; but if he acts un- 
righteously and cruelly, the justice of the peace is the devil. The devil 
is not Yoltaire, but, by poisoning and destroying the souls of men, Vol- 
taire is the devil, who was a murderer from the beginning, and abode 
not in the truth. 

Thirdly, he is confident of the result of the conflict : " And hath 
nothing in me." He has enough in us. First, enough of guilt. Hence 
he can alarm and dismay us. In the conscience of some he produces 
such terror and anguish, that the man chooses strangling and death 
rather than life. He is also the accuser of the brethren ; and in their 
sins, and the sins even of their holy things, he finds enough against 
them to perplex and distress them in their afflictions, and in their ap- 
proaches to God. But he could find no guilt in Jesus, and therefore 
he could stir up no feeling of self-remorse or despair. Secondly, enough 
of corruption. Hence he can easily draw us aside by laying hold of 
our envy, pride, avarice, impatience. Owing to the remains of unmor- 
tified passions, or, as the apostle calls it, the sin that dwelleth in us, we 
are always in danger from outward things. We may be ensnared by 
our dress, our table, our business, and our friends ; what is innocent and 
good in itself may become to us injurious and evil. Here the sparks fall 



MARCH 29. 151 

upon tinder. But there was nothing inflammable in him, and therefore 
no unhallowed fire could be kindled. He was the Holy One of God. 
"He did no sin," and " in him was no sin." 

A proof that if he was stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted, he 
was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities ; the 
chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are 
healed. 

We also see that there must be a great difference between him and 
ourselves as to moral danger. He was safe everywhere, and in all cir- 
cumstances. We must " watch and pray, lest we enter into tempta- 
tion." " The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 

J 

MARCH 29. 

" God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus 
Christ." 1 Thess. 5 : 9. 

No ; " He has not appointed us to wrath." He might have done it. 
We deserved it. We were by nature children of wrath, even as others. 
But He has delivered us from the wrath to come. We have trials, but 
there is no curse in them. They come from a father who corrects, not 
from a judge who punishes. We may sometimes fear his wrath, but 
this is our infirmity. Flesh cries, " Do not condemn me," but faith 
cries, "There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." 

But " to obtain salvation." We are often said to be saved already. 
We are so as to our state, but not as to possession and enjoyment. 
There is a future blessedness. It is indeed begun here ; but that which 
is held up to the hope of the believer is the accomplishment of all that 
God has promised — the reception of the soul at death, the resurrection 
of the body at the last day, the glorification of the whole man for ever. 
What an object of expectation ! How poor and pitiful is every thing 
seen and temporal compared with this ! Some are destined to shine in 
courts ; some, to stride over the heads of others ; some, to amass heaps 
of shining ore ; but, if a Christian, thou art destined to an inheritance 
beyond the skies, and a crown of glory that fadeth not away. What is 
life ? However indulged and endowed, it is, in its best estate, alto- 
gether vanity. What are the pleasures of sin, for a season? What are 
riches, and death — a title, and damnation at the end of it? And what 
are losses and afflictions to a man who is going to obtain salvation ? 

But by what medium will he acquire it ? " Through our Lord Jesus 
Christ." To seek it in any other way is a vain pursuit. There is sal- 
vation in none other. I am the way, said he, the truth, and the life : no 
man cometh unto the Father but by me. Yea, it is not only useless, 
but sinful. It opposes God's revealed will and express command ; it 
robs the Lord Jesus of his highest glory ; it frustrates his grace ; it 
makes him to be dead in vain. Much conies to some through others. 
We have had friends and benefactors, but, above all, what have they 
done for us ? What self-denial have they exercised ? What sufferings 



152 MORNING EXERCISES. 

have they endured ? But he knew what would be required of him in 
opening for us a passage to glory. Yet he readily consented, and said, 
Lo, I come. Behold, and see if ever there was sorrow or love like his. 
He became poor, that we might be made rich ; he died, that we might 

live. 

The apostle does not forget to tell us that we are appointed to obtain 
the salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. As men, we are not the 
creatures of chance. There is an appointed time to man upon earth. 
God has appointed the bounds of our habitation. And, as Christians, 
are we the offspring of contingency? Is conversion a happy accident? 
It is the work of God, and he does nothing without foreknowledge and 
design. Four things may be observed with regard to this appointment. 
The earliness of it : in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, 
promised before the world began. The freeness of it : it was not 
founded on the foresight of any worthiness or works of ours. He hath 
saved us and called us, not according to our works, but according to 
his own purpose and grace given us in Christ Jesus before the world 
began. Its efficiency : it will not, cannot fail ; the counsel of the Lord 
standeth for ever. " I will make an everlasting covenant with them, 
that I will not turn away from them to do them good ; but I will put 
my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me." Its appro- 
priation : blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of 
heaven. Blessed are they that mourn. Blessed are they that hunger 
and thirst after righteousness. Go back from effects to causes. Prove 
your calling, and thus make your election sure. 

And remember one thing : be simple, and receive the kingdom of 
God as a little child, not only as to its doctrines, but as to its invita- 
tions and promises. The writer one day attended the dying-bed of a 
young female. "I have little," said she, " to relate as to my experience. 
I have been much tried and tempted, but this is my sheet-anchor : He 
has said, 'Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.' I 
know I come to him, and I expect that he will be as good as his word. 
Poor and unworthy as I am, he will not trifle with me, or deceive me ; 
it would be beneath his greatness as well as his goodness. I am at his 
feet ; and can I perish there ?" 



MARCH 30. 

"When they saw him, they besought him that he would depart." Matt. 8 :34. 

He had now entered the country of the Gadarenes, and cured two 
demoniacs. The people should have deemed themselves honored by 
his presence, and have thanked him for relieving their wretched neigh- 
bors from the most dreadful malady. But he had, in correction of an 
unlawful traffic, destroyed their swine. They, therefore, preferring 
their sins to their souls, feared and hated him, and desired him to with- 
draw. He took them immediately at their word, and went, and re- 
turned no more. Oh, when he comes to us, and convinces us of sin, 



MARCH 31. 153 

and reproves us for our evil passions and vile courses ; when he comes 
and makes us uneasy, by the admonitions of conscience, of friendship, 
of Scripture, of providence, and instead of yielding to his merciful de- 
sign, we regard him as an irksome intruder, and intreat him — and he 
hears our meaning without speech — to leave us, he will comply with 
our desire, and say, They are joined to idols, let them alone ; and woe 
unto them when I depart from them ! This is an awful truth. 

But it is an equally pleasing one, that if we desire his presence, lie 
will indulge our wish. And therefore, when the two disciples, going 
to Emmaus, reached the village whither they went, and he made as if 
he would have gone farther, they constrained him, saying, Abide with 
us, for it is towards evening, and the day is far spent. And it is said, 
he went in to tarry with them. So when the woman of Samaria had 
persuaded many of her neighbors to come to the well to see him, they 
besought him that he would tarry with them ; and he abode there two 
days. 

Saviour Jesus, thou art all in all ! Come and dwell in our country ; 
come and dwell in our churches ; come and dwell in our houses ; come 
and dwell in our hearts for ever. " Cast me not away from thy pres- 
ence ; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me." 

" I cannot bear thine absence, Lord ; 

My life expires if thou depart : 
Be thou, my heart, still near my God, 
And thou, my God, be near my heart." 



MARCH 31. 



" But that the world may know that I love the Father ; and as the Father gave me 
commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence." John 14 : 31. 

When he says, " Arise, let us go hence," he shows his readiness to 
suffer. " I will not wait for the enemy ; I will go and meet him. I 
will go to the place where Judas will look for me. I will go to the 
garden of Gethsemane, where I am to agonize, and from thence to Cal- 
vary, where I am to die. I have a baptism to be baptized with, and 
how am I straitened till it be accomplished." We always see in him 
this disposition, a proof that he was not compelled to engage ; that he 
did not undertake the case from ignorance ; that he did not repent of 
his work, even in the sight of enduring all its expensiveness of woe. 
He loved us, and gave himself for us. 

Yet this alacrity was not rashness, but obedience : ■■ As the Father 
gave me commandment." Though in his high character he had the 
disposal of himself, in his human nature, and in his mediatorial office, he 
was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He felt no incon- 
sistency in this, and why should we? "No man taketh my life from 
me. I lay it down of myself : I have power to lay it down, and I have 
power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my 



154 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Father." So mistaken should we be in supposing that the Father was 
less disposed to save us than the Son, or that his love was purchased 
by that death which was really the effect of it, and designed to be the 
medium through which it should operate. Herein God had commended 
his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for 
us. And therefore did the Father love him, because he laid down his 
life that he might take it again ; and for the suffering of death, he 
crowned him with glory and honor. 

Though there was something here peculiar in our Saviour's obedi- 
ence, there is something also exemplary in it. He did not expose him- 
self before his hour was come, but cheerfully submitted to the divine 
will when it was come. So we are not to turn aside in search of trials, 
but to take up our cross when it is fairly in our way. We are not to 
be impatient to suffer, but when we are called to it, the call should sus- 
tain us and bear us through, for God is with us. 

And this obedience resulted from love : " I love the Father. I de- 
light," said he, " to do thy will ; yea, thy law is within my heart. My 
meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." His 
people, in their measure and degree, can say the same. As obedience 
is the best evidence of love, so love is the best spring of obedience. It 
is love that makes it pleasant to ourselves. It is love that makes it 
acceptable to God. With him nothing can be a substitute for it. In- 
deed, we ourselves, in the' conduct of our fellow-creatures towards us, 
judge, not by the bulk of the action, but the disposition from which it 
proceeds. The estimate is taken, not from the service, but the princi- 
ple ; not from what is given, but from what is implied. The smallest 
donation is welcomed as a token of cordial regard ; while, like God, we 
abhor " the sacrifice where not the heart is found." 

Jesus would have this known, not to his disciples only, but to oth- 
ers, and to all : " But that the world may know that I love the 'Father ; 
and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us 
go hence." And the world ought to know it ; they are deeply con- 
cerned in it, and in due time they will know it. At present a very 
large majority of mankind have never heard of his name, or of his sal- 
vation. But his cause is spreading. The Scriptures are entering all 
languages. Missionaries are visiting all climes. The church is pray- 
ing that his word may have free course and be glorified. And God 
has said, " It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant, to raise 
up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel ; I will 
also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my sal- 
vation unto the ends of the earth." It must therefore by and by be said, 
without a figure, " Behold, the world is gone away after him." 

But blessed are our eyes, for they see, and our ears, for they hear. 
We already know these things. But how do we know them ? Do we 
feel as well as understand them ? Are we as cold in our affections as 
we are clear in our convictions ? Shall we be found in the number of 
those who behold and wonder and perish ? Or, filled with admiration 



APRIL 1. 155 

and gratitude, and confidence and zeal, beholding as in a glass his glory, 
are we changing into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by 
the Spirit of the Lord ? 



APRIL 1. 



"His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." Luke 
22:44. 

It is a question whether this sweat was blood comparatively ; that 
is, whether it resembled blood, whose drops are denser, heavier, and 
larger than those of common perspiration, or really blood. The latter 
is possible. There have been instances of the kind well authenticated. 
Such an opinion early and generally prevailed ; and nothing was more 
common among the fathers, than to consider this as one of the times 
when he bled for us, each of his pores, as a kind of wound, flowing 
with that blood without which there is no remission. It is perhaps 
impossible to determine this absolutely. But even allowing — what we 
by no means consider as proved — that it was only blood in resem- 
blance, it must have been most extraordinary. For he was abroad in 
the open air, upon the cold ground, the night far advanced, and the 
weather chilling ; for the high-priest's servants made a fire to warm 
themselves. Here was enough to have checked perspiration ; yet his 
sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 

And what could have caused it ? Surely not the mere circumstan- 
ces of dying. From Socrates, from Seneca, there was no such effusion ; 
they were cool and calm. Look at the martyrs, and even those of the 
more timid sex ; they were tranquil in the prospect, and in many instan- 
ces came forth from prison smiling, and blessed the instrument of death. 
What was the reason of this difference? they had not to contend with 
the powers of darkness. But with regard to him this was their hour, 
and the power of darkness. They had not to bear the sins of others, nor 
yet their own ; whereas the Lord laid on him the iniquities of us all. 

We indulge here no curious speculations, and we require the defini- 
tions of no human creeds ; but neither will we be reasoned out of the 
plain language and meaning of the Scriptures. We believe God, and 
not as some believe him ; that is, as a jury in a court believe the testi- 
mony of a suspected, a discredited witness, relying no further upon his 
deposition than it is collaterally supported ; and thus yielding no honor 
to himself. We do not found our belief on knowledge, but derive our 
knowledge from belief. We believe in the unerring wisdom and veracity 
of God ; and he has told us that Christ also suffered for sins, the just 
for the unjust ; that he bore our griefs, and carried our sorrows ; that 
the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and that by his stripes we 
are healed. 

Men think lightly of sin, but an awakened conscience feels it a bur- 
den too heavy to bear. It has made the whole creation groan. But see 
Jesus bearing it in his own body, and his sweat falls as great drops of 



156 MORNING EXERCISES. 

blood down to the ground! What, then, if you should bear it in your 
own person, sinner ! Why, it will sink you to the lowest hell. Yet 
bear it you must, if you reject or neglect him ; for there remaineth no 
more sacrifice for sin. He that believeth on the Son of God, hath 
everlasting life ; and he that believeth not the Son of God, hath not 
life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Yet, 

"Each purple drop proclaims there's room, 
And bids the poor and needy come." 

Oh, let me look on him who suffers thus. Oh, let me mourn over my 
sins, which caused his anguish. 

" 'T were you that pulled the vengeance down 
Upon his guiltless head : 
Break, break, my heart; and burst, my eyes; 
And let my sorrows bleed." 

But let me also rejoice. That bloody sweat proclaims my discharge 
from condemnation, and tells me the law is magnified and made hon- 
orable. 

And can I help loving him? Love begets love. And what can 
evince love like suffering ? And such suffering ; and for such crimi- 
nals ! And not only without their desert, but their desire. Lord, what 
wilt thou have me to do? Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. 



APRIL 2. 



"Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth." 
John 18: 7. 

Every thing here is remarkable. 

How wonderful that any in the very family of Jesus should be base 
enough to betray him ! But here we find Judas, who had been called 
to the apostleship, and invested with power to work miracles, and a few 
hours before had partaken of the holy supper, heading a band of men 
and officers, which he had obtained from the chief priests and Phari- 
sees, and betraying his Master and benefactor into their hands with a 
kiss ! 

How wonderful was the courage of Jesus, that though he knew all 
things that should come upon him, not only remained in the place, but 
came forth from his retreat, and presented himself. This was the effect 
of a love stronger than death. Perfect love casteth out fear. 

How wonderful was the rebuke, and the repulse which his enemies 
met with! No sooner did he pronounce the words, "I am he," than 
they went backward, and fell to the ground. Whether some rays of 
glory broke from his sacred body, or whether he immediately by his 
power impressed their minds, we know not; but surely here was 
enough to induce them to discontinue the unhallowed enterprise. 

Yet how wonderful, that in a few moments they rise, and recover 
heart enough to approach him a second time ; so that he asks them again, 
Whom seek ye ? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. This was partly 



APRIL 3. 157 

the influence of numbers. A man alone may be often easily deterred 
from an evil action. But it is otherwise where hand joins in hand, and 
the sinner is seen and supported, and stimulated or reproached by his 
fellow-creatures. It shows us also the hardening nature of sin. When 
the men of Sodom were smitten with blindness, they even then groped 
by the wall to find the house where the heavenly visitants were. Upon 
the removal of each plague, when Pharaoh saw there was respite, he 
hardened his heart. And Ahaz, in his affliction, sinned yet more and 
more against God. And of how many may it be said, " Thou hast stricken 
them, but they have not grieved : thou hast consumed them, but they 
have refused to receive correction ; they have made their faces harder 
than a rock ; they have refused to return." 

Neither means, nor even miracles, will avail when God leaves a man 
to himself. Persons often think that a dreadful event will do what 
ordinances have failed to accomplish. But we have known many who 
have been stripped and reduced, and yet their minds have not been 
humbled before God. They have resembled fractions of ice or stone, 
broken but not changed ; each piece retaining the coldness and hard- 
ness of the mass. They think that a spectre would be much more effi- 
cacious than a preacher. Yain hope. If they hear not Moses and the 
prophets, neither would they be persuaded though one rose from the 
dead. 

thou God of all grace, fulfil in my experience the promise, " A 
new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you : 
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give 
you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause 
you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do 
them." 



APRIL 3. 

" Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he ; if therefore ye seek me, let these go 
their way." John 18 : 8. 

Here we see the Saviour's readiness to suffer. He makes not the 
least attempt to escape from the hands of his enemies, but tells them a 
second time that he was the victim they sought after ; and yielded him- 
self up to be bound and led away, without murmuring or complaint. 
This willingness was magnified by the greatness of his sufferings, his 
knowledge of all he was to endure, his deserving it not, but bearing it 
for others, and his power of escape. 

Here we see his tenderness towards his disciples. He would not 
have them to die or suffer, or at present even to be apprehended and 
alarmed. They were unable to bear it. They could not follow him 
now. He has the same heart still, and from this instance of his con- 
duct, we may conclude, that he will suffer no affliction to befall -his dis- 
ciples, unless for some wise and useful purpose ; that he will sympa- 
thize with them in their suffering ; that he will afford them support and 
comfort ; that in due time he will wipe away all tears from their eyes. 



158 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Here also we see his authority and dominion over their adversaries. 
We are mistaken if we suppose that he presented a request when he 
said, If ye seek me, let these go their way. A request would have 
been nothing in the present state of their minds, and provided, as they 
were, with officers and an armed band of Roman soldiers. It was in 
the nature and force of a command. It was an absolute injunction. 
" I will not surrender unless these are allowed to depart. You shall 
not touch a hair of their head." Accordingly they make not the least 
objection, and suffer them to retire unmolested. 

This was in character with his whole history. In his penury he 
always displayed his riches ; in his deepest abasement he emitted some 
rays of his glory. The manhood was seen ; but it was, so to speak, 
deified humanity. What majesty was combined with the humiliations 
of his birth and his death! Does he here submit? He is a conqueror, 
demanding his own terms and obtaining them. 

And did not this serve to enhance the sin of his disciples in deny- 
ing and forsaking him? They were overcome by the fear of man. 
But what had they to fear ? Did they not here see that their enemies 
were under his control, and could do nothing without his permission ? 
Did he not here obtain for them a passport, insuring their escape and 
safety? Yet they have not courage and confidence enough to declare 
themselves on his side, and to stand by him. 

And do we not resemble them ? How often do we shrink back from 
the avowal of our principles, or turn aside from the performance of 
some trying duty. And wherefore? We also yield to the fear of man, 
that bringeth a snare. Yet what can man, what can devils do unto 
us ? Satan could not sift Peter, nor touch an article of Job's estate till 
leave was granted him. Our. foes are all chained, and the extent of 
their reach is determined by the pleasure of him who loved us well 
enough to die for us. If He careth for us, it is enough. 

When shall we realize this, and go on our way rejoicing ? If He 
says to events, Let that man succeed in his calling, opposition and dif- 
ficulties are nothing ; he gets forward : the blessing of the Lord maketh 
rich. If he says to sickness, Touch not that individual, the pestilence 
may walk in darkness, and the destruction rage at noon-day : a thousand 
may fall at his side, and ten thousand at his right hand, it shall not 
come nigh him. If He has any thing more for us to do or suffer, 
though life be holden by a rotten thread, that thread is more than 
cable ; we are immortal till our change comes. 

" Hast thou not given thy word 
To save my soul from death? 
And I can trust my Lord 
To keep my mortal breath 
I '11 go and come, 
Nor fear to die 
'Till from on high 
Thou call me home." 



APRIL 4. 159 

APRIL 4. 

" Christ died for us." Rom. 5 : 8. 

So have many. All those who have paid their lives to the injured 
laws of their country have died for us ; and if we derive not improve- 
ment from it, the fault is our own. The world drowned in the deluge 
perished for us. The Jews whose carcasses fell in the wilderness suf- 
fered, as the apostle tells us, as ensamples and admonitions to us. We 
have buried friends and relations, but 

"For us they languish, and for us they die." 

That husband of her youth, that wife of his bosom, that child of their 
love have been removed, to wean the heart from earth, and to show 
how frail we are. 

But are we going to rank the death of Christ with such deaths as 
these? We would rather class it with that of an apostle: "If I be 
offered," says Paul to the Philippians, " upon the sacrifice and service 
of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you." This was noble. But was 
Paul crucified for us ? 

No : " It is Christ that died." His death is peculiar and preeminent, 
infinitely peculiar and preeminent. This was indicated by the prodigies 
that attended it. Yet on these we shall not enlarge. Neither shall 
we dwell on the many touching circumstances of his death. Such a 
tragical representation may be derived from the history as would draw 
tears from every eye, while the heart may be unaffected with, and the 
mind even uninformed of the grand design of his death. The question 
is, What was this design ? 

Some tell us that it was to confirm the truth of his doctrine by the 
testimony of his blood ; and to suffer, leaving us an example, that we 
should follow his steps. And this is true. And we believe it as fully 
as those who will go no further. But is this the whole, or the princi- 
pal part of the design? We appeal to the Scriptures. There we 
learn that He died for us as an expiation of our guilt, and to make 
reconciliation for the sins of the people. There we see that he died 
for us as a sacrifice, a ransom, a substitute ; that he redeemed us from 
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us ; that he once suffered 
for sins, the just for the, unjust, that he might bring us unto God. 

Exclude this, and the language of the Bible becomes perfectly em- 
barrassing and unintelligible. Exclude this, and what becomes of the 
legal sacrifices ? They were shadows without a substance ; they pre- 
figured nothing. For there is no relation between them and his death, 
as he was a martyr and an example ; but there is a full conformity 
between them and his death, as he was an atonement. Exclude this, 
and how are his sufferings to be accounted for at all? For he did 
not die for the sins of others, and he had none of his own. Where, 
then, is the God of judgment? That be far from him to do after this 
manner ; to slay the righteous with the wicked. So far the Jews rea- 



160 MORNING EXERCISES. 

soned well : they rejected him, for they considered him stricken, smit- 
ten of God, and afflicted. And so he was : but "he was wounded for 
our transgressions ; he was bruised for our iniquities ; the chastisement 
of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All 
we like sheep have gone astray : we have turned every one to his own 
way ; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Exclude 
this, and with what can we meet the conscience burdened with guilt? 
With what can we answer the inquiry, How shall I come before the 
Lord? With what can we wipe the tear of godly grief? But we have 
boldness to enter into the holiest, by the blood of Jesus. Surely he 
hath borne our grief, and carried our sorrow. His death was an offer- 
ing and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. The all-suffi- 
ciency and the acceptableness were evinced by his discharge from the 
grave, and his being received up into glory. There, within the veil, 
our hope finds anchorage. 

"Jesus, my great High-priest, 
Offered his blood, and died ; 
My guilty conscience seeks 
No sacrifice beside. 
His powerful blood did once atone, 
And now it pleads before the throne." 

Yet even this is not all the design. Christ died for us, not only to rec- 
oncile us, but to renovate ; not only to justify us, but to sanctify. The 
one is as necessary to our recovery as the other. And both equally 
flow from the cross. For he gave himself for us, that he might redeem 
us from all iniquity ; and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous 
of good works. 

" Oh, the sweet wonders of that cross 

Where God my Saviour groaned and died ; 
Her noblest life my spirit draws 

From his dear wounds and bleeding side." 



APRIL 5. 

"He was buried." 1 Cor. 15 :4. 

The resurrection of our Saviour necessarily presupposes his death, 
but not his burial. His burial was an additional thing, and as his flesh 
could not see corruption, seemed an unnecessary one. But it is worthy 
of our notice. 

Who begged his body for interment ? It was Joseph and Nicode- 
mus. And here we cannot help remarking these petitioners themselves. 
Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble 
are called ; but these men were of distinguished rank and condition in 
life. A few of these there have been in every age of the church ; suf- 
ficient to show, not that the cause of God depends upon them, but to 
redeem religion from the prejudice that it suits the vulgar only ; and 
also to prove the power of divine grace in counteracting temptation. 
Yet down to this period, Joseph and Nicodemus had not been persons 



APRIL 5. 161 

of much promise ; so far from it, they were ashamed and afraid to have 
their regard to our Lord known, when his disciples were professing 
their resolution to follow him to prison and to death. Behold the 
change. The latter, in the hour of trial, forsake him and flee ; the 
former come and openly acknowledge him. Let us all seek after more 
grace, but let none trust in themselves or despise others. " The strong 
may be as tow," and " the feeble may be as David." The man of whom 
we now think nothing, may acquire confidence and zeal ; and not only 
pass us in the road, but leave us very far behind in attainments and 
usefulness. " Who hath despised the day of small things ? A bruised 
reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench, till 
he send forth judgment unto victory." 

Who attended as mourners? "The women also, which came with 
him from Galilee, followed after and beheld the sepulchre, and how his 
body was laid." With us, some days elapse before interment ; but here 
only two hours were allowed between his execution and his burial. If 
indeed, his body had not been implored by Joseph and Nicodemus, it 
would have been interred at Golgotha — thrown into a hole dug under 
the cross. 

Who carried the sacred corpse we know not, but they had not far 
to bear it, "for the sepulchre was nigh at hand." This was not a grave 
of earth, but of stone ; hewn out of a rock. Thus there was only one 
avenue leading to it: no one, therefore, could approach it from the 
sides or behind ; and the entrance was watched, guarded, and sealed. 
It was also a new tomb, in which never man was laid. And here 
again we see the hand of God, for had there been other bodies, some 
would have pretended collusion, and the evidence could not have been 
so simple and complete as it now was, when the body lay alone there. 
Finally, it was not his own. His followers are mad after the honors 
and riches of the world ; but living and dying, he had not where to lay 
his head. He was born in another man's house, and buried in another 
man's grave. 

But why was he buried at all? First, his burial was an additional 
confirmation of his death, upon which every thing depended. An 
examination was made while he was upon the cross, and finding him 
dead already, they brake not his legs ; but a soldier pierced his side, 
and forthwith came thereout blood and water. But now his mouth and 
nostrils and ears were all filled with the odors and spices : and who 
can question a man's death when he is buried ? Secondly, it was the 
completion of his humiliation. " They have brought me into the dust 
of death." " Now that he ascended, what is it but that he descended 
first into the lowest parts of the earth?" Thirdly, by this he sanctified 
the grave, and prepared it for his people. They would have been 
afraid to go in, but he entered it before them. They can lie in his bed 
after him. He has freed it from every horror. He has softened it, and 
made it easy for them. 

" And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary sitting over 

Morn. Exer. : 



162 MORNING EXERCISES. 

against the sepulchre." Let us sit by them and contemplate. There 
lies, in that rock, He who made it. There are sealed up the lips which 
said, " Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will 
give you rest." There are closed the eyes which always beamed com- 
passion, and wept for human woe. There cold are the hands which 
were laid on little children to bless them, and that delivered the 
widow's son to his mother. There lies the life of the world, and the 
hope of Israel. He was fairer than the children of men ; he was the 
image of the invisible God ; he went about doing good ; he was rich, 
and for our sakes became poor. 

" Come, saints, and drop a tear or two 

For Him who groaned beneath your load ; 
He shed a thousand drops for you, 
A thousand drops of richer blood." 

On the tombs of mortals, however illustrious, the humbling sentence 
is inscribed, " Here he lies." But I hear the angel saying, " Come, see 
the place where the Lord %." He was dead, but he is alive again ; 
and because he lives, we shall live also. 

"Break off your tears, ye saints, and tell 

How high your great Deliverer reigns ; 
Sing how he spoiled the hosts of hell, 

And led the monster, Death, in chains. 
Say, 'Live for ever, wondrous King, 

Born to redeem, and strong to save.' 
Then ask the monster, Where 's thy sting 1 

And, Where's thy victory, boasting grave 1 ?" 



APRIL 6. . 



" After that he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once ; of whom the greater 
part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep." 1 Cor. 15 : 6. 

As the resurrection of the Lord and Saviour is of such unspeakable 
importance, it cannot be too clearly and fully ascertained. Now the 
way to prove a fact is to call in evidence ; and if in the mouth of two 
or three witnesses every word shall be established, what shall we say 
when we meet with such a cloud of witnesses as the apostle here brings 
forward? — witnesses the most competent, eye-witnesses, ear- witnesses, 
witnesses who even handled the word of life ; men not of hasty cre- 
dence, but slow of heart to believe ; men whose despondence was only 
to be removed by proof the most undeniable, and upon which they 
hazarded every thing dear to them, and braved reproach and suffering 
and death. 

This interview took place in Galilee, where our Lord had princi- 
pally resided and preached and done his wonderful works. There he 
was best known, and chiefly followed. Before his death he had said, 
•'After I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee." On the 
morning of his resurrection, we find the angel knew of this design ; and 
therefore meeting the woman he said, " Go quickly, and tell his disci- 



APRIL 6. 163 

pies that he is risen from the dead ; and behold, he goeth before you into 
Galilee, there shall ye see him ; lo, I have told you." Influenced by 
this authority, "the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a 
mountain where Jesus had appointed them." From whence it appears 
that the very spot had been named. And from the words of the apos- 
tle, it is certain that the disciples did not repair to it by themselves ; 
but having made known among their connections the approaching inter- 
view with a risen Saviour, they enjoyed the privilege, in company with 
this large assembly. " He was seen of above five hundred brethren at 
once, of whom the greater part remain unto this present ; but some are 
fallen asleep." Every thing here is striking. 

The name : " Brethren." lovely distinction ! When will it swal- 
low up every other ? When shall the religious world remember that 
all real Christians, notwithstanding their differences, are all justified 
by the same blood, sanctified by the same grace, travelling the same 
way, heirs of the same glory, children of the same Father, " of whom 
the whole family in heaven and earth is named ?" 

The number : " About five hundred." We were not aware that he 
had so many adherents. In Jerusalem they could only bring together 
one hundred and twenty. But there were more in the country. Let 
us not judge of our Lord's followers by a particular place or party. 
Let us remember that he has his hidden ones, whom circumstances may 
never bring to our notice. How surprised should we be, if any event 
was to draw them together from their various retreats. How should 
we exclaim, " These, where have they been ?" What a multitude then, 
which no man can number, will there be when they shall be all assem- 
bled out of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues. 

The ravages of time : " Some have fallen asleep." And no wonder, 
in the lapse of six and twenty years. Who has not, during such a period, 
been summoned to the grave to weep there ? Whose heart within him 
has not been desolate, at the loss of friends and relations ? Even the 
church has not been a sanctuary from the robber and spoiler. The 
wise and the good, the holy and the useful, the followers and witnesses 
of the Redeemer, have finished their course and their testimony, and 
have slept the sleep of death. 

Distinguished preservations : " The greater part remain unto this pres- 
sent." The majority of five hundred spared so many years ! When, 
from the numberless perils of life, it was marvellous that any one of 
them should have lived even a week or a day. Have we survived others ? 
Let us not ascribe it to our own care, or the goodness of our constitu-* 
tion ; but say with Caleb, when so many carcasses fell in the wilder- 
ness, " The Lord hath kept me alive." 

And let us be concerned, that protracted life be devoted to Him 
who is " the length of our days," and " the God of our salvation." 



164 MORNING EXERCISES. 

APRIL 7. 

" Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell ; neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see 
corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life : in thy presence is fulness of joy ; at thy 
right hand there are pleasures for evermore."' Psa. 16 : 10, 11, 

Our Lord tells us of many things concerning himself, not only in 
the law of Moses and in the prophets, but in the Psalms. Some have 
contended that he is immediately regarded in every passage in them. 
This error, arising from a noble truth carried too far, has led the hold- 
ers of it to take liberties with the translation, and with the original 
too. We may safely follow the applications of the Holy Ghost ; and 
we are sure, from the language of Peter in the Acts of the Apostles, 
that in the words before us, David speaks of the Messiah, or rather, 
introduces the Messiah himself as the speaker. 

Jesus knew that he was to suffer and die, but he knew also that 
death could not feed upon him. He knew he should be laid in the 
grave, but he knew also that he should not remain there : " Thou wilt 
not leave my soul in hell." Hell, here, does not mean the place of the 
miserable, but the abode of the dead. This he entered, but continued 
not long enough there for dissolution to commence : " Neither wilt thou 
suffer thy Holy One to see corruption." 

The path of life was his passage from the sepulchre to glory, from 
the tomb of Joseph to the palace of the great King. This path no one 
had yet trodden. Enoch and Elias had entered heaven, but did not go 
thither from the grave. Thousands had entered heaven, but left their 
bodies behind. But He did not leave his body. He is therefore called 
the first-born from the dead, because he was the first that entered heaven 
after lying in the grave. He was the first-born, too, in the dignity and 
influence of the life he realized. Lazarus, and the widow of Nain's son. 
and others, though they were revived, died again. But he, being raised 
from the dead, dieth no more ; death hath no more dominion over him. 
He lives as no one else ever lived, or ever will live. He lives, having 
the keys of hell and of death. He lives in the possession of all power 
in heaven and in earth. He lives as our head and representative, as 
the source of all spiritual influence, as the Father of the everlasting 
age ; and he shall see his seed, and shall prolong his days, and the 
pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 

And because he lives, we shall live also. His resurrection is the 
model, the cause, the proof, and the earnest of our own ; for there is a 
union between Christ and Christians, by which they are federally and 
vitally one. When therefore he died, they were crucified with him ; 
and when he arose and ascended, they were quickened together with 
him, and raised up, and made to sit with him in the heavenly places. 
And though their bodies return to the dust, they will not see corruption 
for ever, for this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal 
shall put on immortality. 

The believer therefore can also say, " Thou wilt show me the path 



APRIL 8. 165 

of life. This life means the blessedness reserved in heaven for the peo- 
ple of God after the resurrection. David here describes it : In thy 
presence is fulness of joy ; at thy right hand there are pleasures for 
evermore. It has three characters. The first regards its source : it 
flows from " his presence." He is the fountain of life, and the supreme 
good of the mind. 

The second regards its plenitude : it is fulness of joy. In this vale of 
tears every pleasure has its pain, and every comfort its cross. We 
pursue satisfaction, but we grasp vanity and vexation. We look to 
Jesus, and find him the consolation of Israel. But consolation supposes 
trouble. His followers are described, not only by their rejoicing, but 
their mourning ; without they have fightings, and within they have 
fears. They have blessed frames, and, in some religious exercises, they 
seem to be partakers of the glory that shall be revealed. And so they 
are ; but it is by a glimpse, a taste, a drop : the fulness is above. 

The third regards its permanency : the pleasures are for evermore. 
Uncertainty as well as deficiency attaches to every thing here. We 
embrace our connections, and lo, they are gone. We set our hearts on 
that which is not. 

If there was a possibility of the destruction or loss of the blessed- 
ness above, we should be miserable in proportion to its greatness. 
From the moment of knowing it, the thought would poison all the joy. 
But it is a crown of glory that fadeth not away. It is everlasting life. 



APRIL 8. 

"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." Phil. 3 : 11. 

Here the subject of consideration is, the resurrection of the dead. 
But it is obvious the apostle does not refer to it as an event, for as an 
event it will be universal, and we shall be the subjects of it, whether 
we are willing or unwilling, for there will be " a resurrection of the 
dead, both of the just and of the unjust." But he refers to it as a priv- 
ilege. That can hardly be called a deliverance that takes a man out of 
a bad condition and consigns him to a worse. What is it for a crim- 
inal to be led out of prison to be tried and condemned and executed ? 
What is it for the body to be revived, but not renovated, inheriting the 
principles of all the evils entailed upon it by sin, and rendered immor- 
tal for the duration of misery? The grave is better than hell. But 
while some will come forth unto the resurrection of damnation, others 
will come forth unto the resurrection of life — a resurrection that shall 
change the vile body, and fashion it like the Saviour's own glorious 
body, and complete all that the Saviour has procured for us, and the 
gospel has promised to us. 

With regard to the acquisition of a share in this blessedness, the 
apostle makes use of language that implies valuation, difficulty, variety, 
submission : "Ifby any means I might attain unto the resurrection of 
the dead." 



166 MORNING EXERCISES. 

It implies valuation of the object. Things may be important in 
themselves, and not prized by those whom they concern. And we see' 
this with regard to the blessings of the gospel : for though they are as 
superior to all worldly good as the heavens are higher than the earth, 
yet men make light of them ; and were we to judge of eternal salvation 
by the regard paid to it by the multitude, we should consider it a trifle 
unworthy a moment's serious thought. But what is it in the view of 
awakened souls ? The " pilgrim," when leaving the city of Destruction, 
and implored by his friends and family to return, put his fingers in his 
ears, and ran, crying, "Life! life! eternal life!" Such wait for the 
Lord more than they that watch for the morning. They hunger and 
thirst after righteousness. " They count all things but loss for the ex- 
cellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus their Lord." This, says Paul, 
is the prize of my high calling. If I miss it, I am undone for ever. If 
I reach it, the possession will realize all my hopes and desires. The 
very prospect, as I can make it my own, enlivens and cheers me in all 
my labors and sufferings : " If by any means I might attain unto the 
resurrection of the dead." 

It implies the difficulty of the acquirement. All excellent things 
require application and diligence ; and he who rationally expects suc- 
cess must be determined, and bring his mind to exertion and endurance. 
What pains and patience are necessary to attain human learning I 
" There is no royal way to geometry." And is divine wisdom the prey 
of the idle and careless? Must we labor for the meat that perisheth ; 
and can we, without labor, obtain that meat which endureth unto ever- 
lasting life ? No, says the Saviour, even in the very passage in which 
he speaks of " giving it ;" where it is obvious, therefore, that the giving 
is not opposed to diligence, but desert. How readest thou ? " Strive 
to enter in at the strait gate." " Work out your salvation with fear 
and trembling." " Fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal 
life." But take those who, in their religion, know nothing of the pri- 
vations and hardships of the soldier ; nothing of the unbending alacrity 
of the racer; who never redeem their time; whose day is only distin- 
guished from their night by the substitution of sloth for sleep ; who 
exercise no self-denial ; who never mortify the deeds of the body ; 
whose souls do not follow hard after God — would it not be perfectly 
absurd for one of these to say, " If by any means I might attain unto 
the resurrection of the dead ?" 

It implies variety in the manner of reaching glory. This does not 
apply to the procuring of the blessing. This is done already. Jesus 
said, as he expired, "It is finished." He made peace by the blood of 
his cross, and brought in everlasting righteousness, and all that believe 
on him are justified from all things. At the deluge, people could be 
drowned anywhere, but there was only one ark. The way of salvation 
has been always the same from the beginning, but the methods by which 
this salvation is applied are various. Various are the means employed 
in our conversion, and various are the courses of duty in which we ac- 



APRIL 8. 167 

tually obtain the promise. All the Lord's people obey, for he is the 
•author of eternal salvation only to them that obey him ; but they are 
called to obey in very different ways. One is required to act the Chris- 
tian in single, another in relative life. One fills a public station j an- 
other, a private. Some are to receive with gratitude ; others are to 
give with cheerfulness. Some must discharge the duties of prosperity ; 
others, those of adversity. Our sufferings, too, vary, as well as our 
services. One glorifies God by bearing reproach and persecution ; 
another, by enduring bodily pain and infirmities. These have much 
outward trouble, and those more inward conflict. Each is to take up 
his cross, and to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. For, 

Finally, it implies submission ; not prescribing, not objecting, but 
referring every thing to the divine pleasure : " If by any means I might 
attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Whatever they are, I bow to 
them." This implicit submission is necessary to evince the earnestness, 
and even sincerity of our conviction. If a patient really believes and 
feels his disease and danger, he will show it by his readiness to yield 
to the remedies the physician enjoins, however trying they may be. 
Here, indeed, the great contention lies with many. It does not regard 
the end : they would have heaven, but not by any means ; it must be 
by those of their own devising or choosing. Are not the rivers of Da- 
mascus better than all the waters of Jordan ? May I not wash in them, 
and be clean ? But when a man is at the point to die for ever, he will 
acquiesce in any means of deliverance, however mysterious to his rea- 
son, however humiliating to his pride, however averse to his sin and 
sloth. 

God will have the whole management of our case, or he will have 
nothing to do with it. And he ought to have it. The submission is 
an homage due to his sovereignty. We have no claim upon him, and 
it is mercy and grace the most wonderful, that he will save and bless 
us at all. We owe it also to his wisdom and goodness ; for though he 
is a Sovereign, in the exercise of his prerogative he does not act arbi- 
trarily, but does all things well ; his work is perfect. The issue, too, 
is such as to justify our submission to any means in securing it. The 
success will infinitely more than remunerate all our services and sacri- 
fices. And the success also is sure. How many cases are there in 
which means, any means, may be used in vain. The race is not always 
to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. In every department of hu- 
man enterprise, the successful candidates are few. Yea, the event in no 
other pursuit is infallible. But if you are like-minded with Paul, you 
need not fear the result. The gate of mercy was never yet shut against 
a returning sinner. Their heart shall live that seek God. 



168 MORXING EXERCISES. 

APRIL 9. «• 

"Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him/' 
Rom. 6 : 8. 

The death and the resurrection of Christ constitute the substance 
of the gospel, and our concern with them, as doctrinal truths, includes 
more than our admitting them into our creed. They must become in- 
ternal principles, and produce in us corresponding effects. He died ; 
and we must be dead, dead to the law, not as a rule of life, but as a 
covenant of works. Dead to the world, not as the scene of God's won- 
derful works, nor as a sphere of duty, nor as a field of usefulness, but 
as the enemy of God, and our portion. Dead to sin : this includes 
nothing less than our avoiding it, but it intends much more ; we may 
be alive to it even while we forsake it. But we must no longer love or 
relish it, and thus no longer live in it. How shall we that are dead to 
sin live any longer therein ? 

"We must be dead with him. "We are dead with him virtually. For 
he is the head and representative of his church ; and therefore what he 
did for his people is considered as done by them. We are dead with 
him efficiently. For there is an influence derived from his cross which 
mortifies us to sin ; and this influence is not moral only, consisting in 
the force of argument and motive — though this is true : and nothing 
shows the evil of sin. or the love of the Saviour, like Calvary — but it 
is spiritual also. He died to purify as well as to redeem ; and he not 
only made reconciliation for the sins of the people, but received gifts 
for men, and secured the agency of the Holy Spirit. There is no real 
holiness separate from the grace of the Cross. There he draws all men 
unto him. We are dead with him as to resemblance. We are planted 
together in the likeness of his death ; and therefore our death is called, 
as well as his, a crucifixion : " Knowing this, that our old man is cruci- 
fied with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth 
we should not serve sin."' I am, says the apostle, not only dead, but 
crucified with Christ. That mode of dying was a painful one, and a 
visible one, and a gradual one, and a sure one ; for the moment the 
body was fastened to the cross, it was as good as dead ; the bones 
might be broken to accelerate the event, but it was never taken down 
alive. All this is easily applied to the crucifying of the flesh, with the 
affections and lusts. 

But he rose, and now lives, and we shall live with him ; that is, in 
consequence of his living. Because he lives, we shall live also. For 
we are quickened together with Christ, and are raised up, and made to 
sit together in heavenly places ; that is, in his company. Where I am, 
there shall also my servant be. We have much in heaven to endear it. 
How delightful will it be to join our friends with all their infirmities 
done away ! But to depart, to be with Christ, is far better ; that is, 
in fellowship with him. We may live with another, and not live like 
him. We may be with another, and behold his estate, but not share it. 



APRIL 10. 169 

" But when he who is our life shall appear, we also shall appear with 
him in glory." I appoint unto you, says he to his disciples, a kingdom, 
as my Father hath appointed unto me ; that ye may eat and drink at 
my table, in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes 
of Israel. Even our vile body shall be fashioned like his own glorious 
body. And the same duration attaches to his blessedness and ours. I 
am alive, says he, for evermore ; and our end is everlasting life. 

Finally, Paul believed all this. And let us do the same, but let us 
believe it as he did ; that is, let us believe that we shall live with him, 
ifvre be dead with him. Some believe it without this. Their faith is 
only presumption. "Whatever they rely upon, whether their knowledge, 
or orthodoxy, or talking, or profession, they are only preparing for 
themselves the most bitter disappointment, if they are not dead unto 
sin, and delivered from the present evil world ; for if any man have 
hot the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 

But let us also believe, that if we be dead with him, we shall also 
live with him. The inclusion is as sure as the exclusion, and takes in 
every diversity and degree of grace. Whatever be their apprehensions 
of themselves, none of them all shall come short of this glory. It is as 
certain as the promise and oath and covenant of God, and the death 
and intercession of the Saviour, and the pledges and earnests of immor- 
tality can render it. 

Therefore be not faithless, but believing. It was used by Chris- 
tians to animate and encourage each other, in the apostles' days, as a 
common and familiar aphorism, and they gave it full credit : " It is a 
faithful saying : for if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him." 



APRIL 10. 

"The sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow/' 1 Pet. 1 :11. 

Connected with the sufferings of Christ there was a threefold 
glory. 

There was a glory that preceded his sufferings. This is implied in 
his language: "I came forth from the Father." "I came down from 
heaven." But it is expressly mentioned when he says, " The glory that 
I had with thee before the world began." What condescension can 
there be where there is no previous dignity ? And what possessions 
can a being claim before his existence? But he was rich, and for our 
sakes became poor. He was in the form of God, and thought it not 
robbery to be equal with God. He took upon him the form of a ser- 
vant, and made himself of no reputation. 

There was a glory that accompanied his sufferings. There is often 
much parade at the death of a monarch, and, by a show of greatness, 
an attempt is made to conceal or alleviate the disgrace of real little- 
ness. But what are the suspensions of business, the splendid equipage, 
the tolling of bells, the solemn music, the discharge of artillery — 
"He dies — the heavens in mourning stood." 



170 MORNING EXERCISES. 

The sun was darkened, the earth shook, the rocks rent, the graves were 
opened, the dead arose — spiritual trophies, blended with the prodigies 
of nature. Peter's heart was broken at a look. The centurion, watch- 
ing, exclaimed, Surely this man was the Son of God. All the people 
that came together to that sight smote their breasts and returned. The 
dying thief believed with the heart, and confessed with the tongue unto 
salvation, and received an assurance of an immediate place in paradise. 
And what a scene of moral glory was here also displayed, in his readi- 
ness to suffer ; in his apology for his slumbering disciples ; in the order 
to Peter to put up his sword ; in his healing the ear of his enemy's ser- 
vant ; in his stipulating for the safety of his apostles ; in his confession 
before Pontius Pilate ; in his bearing, without resentment, the mocking, 
the spitting, the scourging ; in his sympathy with the weeping daugh- 
ters of Jerusalem, in his way to Calvary ; in his tender concern for his 
widowed mother, on the cross ; in his prayer for his murderers, Father, 
forgive them ; for they know not what they do — where shall we end ? 
Here Celsus endeavors to turn his glory into shame. Having repre- 
sented him as despitefully used, arrayed in purple robes, crowned with 
thorns, and nailed to the tree, he cries out, " In the name of wonder, 
why, on this occasion at least, does he not act the God, and hurl some 
signal vengeance on the authors of his insults and anguish?" But 0, 
thou enemy, he does act the God. Any madman on earth, or fury in 
hell, is capable of anger and wrath and revenge ; but to bear the most 
shocking provocations, and, though commanding the thunder and the 
flame, forbear to punish, and only pity ! If it be the glory of a man to 
pass by a transgression, and the noblest triumph is to overcome evil 
with good, he died gloriously, beyond all example. Yes ; says even a 
Rousseau, " If the death of Socrates was the death of a sage, the death 
of Jesus was the death of a God." 

There was also a glory that followed his sufferings. From the clouds 
that had concealed him, he issues forth in all the radiance of immortal- 
ity, declared to be the Son of God with power, by the Spirit of holi- 
ness, in his resurrection from the dead. An angel descends, and rolls 
away the door of the sepulchre, and sits in glory upon it, and shakes 
the ground, and causes the Roman guards to flee for fear. His disci- 
ples are reanimated and reassembled, to whom also he showed himself 
alive, after his passion, by many infallible signs, being seen of them 
forty days, and speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom of God. 
See him ascend into heaven, far above all principality and power, and 
every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which 
is to come. "Were there glories on the day of Pentecost? He shed 
forth that which was seen and heard. He filled the apostles with the 
Holy Ghost, according to his promise, so that they spoke with new 
tongues, and all people heard, in their own language, the wonderful 
works of God. And three thousand were converted under one sermon. 
All the miracles his servants performed were done in his name, and 
were rays of his glory. The establishment of the gospel then, and the 



APRIL 11. 171 

spread of it ever since, and every soul called by grace, is a part of the 
joy set before him, wherein he sees of the travail of his soul and is 
satisfied. 

And the glories that are yet to follow, when the nations of them 
that are saved shall walk in the light of the Lamb ; when he shall 
sprinkle many nations ; when all nations shall fall down before him, 
and all kings shall serve him! And the glories that are yet to 
follow, when his mediation shall be completely accomplished, and he 
shall come to be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that 
believe, and attract every eye, and fill every heart, and employ every 
tongue for ever ! 

Saviour Jesus, may I be with thee where thou art, to behold thy 
glory. 

APRIL 11. 

" In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbor under the 
vine and under the fig-tree." Zech. 3 :10. 

Thus inspiration characterizes the reign of the Messiah. It was to 
be distinguished by three things : 

The first is enjoyment. The very image is delightful. Vines and 
fig-trees were much prized in the East. They afforded at once de- 
lightful fruit for the taste, and refreshing shade from the heat. Per- 
sons therefore regaled themselves under their branches and leaves, and 
thus the expression in time came to signify happiness. And what said 
our Lord to his disciples? "Blessed are your eyes, for they see ; and 
your ears, for they hear." Because Christians do not run to the same 
excess of riot with others, and turn their back on the pleasures of sin 
and the dissipations of the world, many think they are mopish and mel- 
ancholy. But " blessed are the people that know the joyful sound." 
It was so in the beginning of the gospel. Wherever it came, it was 
received as good news, as glad tidings ; and it was said of the receiv- 
ers, that they walked not only in the fear of the Lord, but in the com- 
forts of the Holy Ghost. It not only relieved, but delighted them. It 
not only tranquillized them, but inspired them with joy unspeakable 
and full of glory. Have we the same gospel ? Or do we embrace it 
properly, if, instead of being thus blessed, it leaves us in a dungeon of 
gloom, the victims of sadness and anxiety and apprehension? 

The second is liberty. Slaves and captives did not sit under their 
vines and fig-trees ; nor did proprietors in time of war. When invaded, 
they were liable to the surprises of the enemy. Then the inhabitants 
disappeared from these loved, but no longer safe retreats, and longed 
for the time when, released from perils and alarms, they should go 
forth with joy, and repose and refresh themselves again. Therefore 
Rab-shakeh, to urge the Jews to a surrender, said, u Make an agree- 
ment with me by a present, and come out to me, and then eat ye every 
man of his own vine, and every one of his fig-tree, and drink ye every 



172 MORNING EXERCISES. 

one the waters of his cistern." Hence we read, There was peace all 
the days of Solomon ; and from Dan to Beersheba the people sat every 
man under his vine and under his fig-tree. But a greater than Solomon 
is here. In "His days shall Israel be saved, and Judah shall dwell 
safely." What have his subjects to fear ? " If God be for us, who can 
be against us? Who is he that condemneth? It is' Christ that died, 
yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, 
who also maketh intercession for us." Christians may therefore give 
up themselves to holy confidence. Their souls may dwell at ease. 
They are free indeed. They are kept by the power of God. " They 
shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of his hand." Let 
them realize this, and feel a peace that passeth all understanding, keep- 
ing their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Let them say, "I 
will trust, and not be afraid : for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and 
my song ; he also is become my salvation." 

The third is benevolence. Ye shall coll every man his neighbor under 
the vine and under the fig-tree. There is nothing like selfishness here ; 
they are anxious that their fellow-creatures should likewise partake of 
their privileges. There is no envy here ; there is no room for it. Here 
is enough not only for themselves, but for others, and for all. 

And if we are Christians indeed, our happiness, instead of being 
impaired by the experience of others, will be increased by it. Let us 
therefore remember the lepers. They had discovered plenty, and were 
regaling themselves, while their neighbors were perishing with famine 
in Samaria. But conscience smote them, and " they said one to another, 
We do not well : this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our 
peace : if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon 
us : now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household." 
Thus the first subjects of Christianity said to the spiritually destitute 
and dying, " That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, 
that ye also may have fellowship with us : and truly our fellowship is 
with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." Cursed be the tem- 
per of the elder brother that turned wretched at the tears of joy that 
bedewed the beard of an aged father, and the ecstacies of a family 
thrown into transport at the return and reception of the prodigal. 
Let me resemble, in every feeling of my soul, those happy beings who 
rejoice in the presence of God over one sinner that repenteth. Let 
me invite all that come within my reach to that mercy which I have 
found. Let me say, " taste and see that the Lord is good : blessed 
is the man that trusteth in him." And let me do this not only by my 
lips, but by all my temper, and all my conduct, holding forth the word 
of life. 



APRIL 12. 173 

APRIL 12. 

"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." 
Rom. 3:24. 

Here we have an answer to the most important and interesting of 
all inquiries, " How shall man be just with God ?" 

To be justified, is to be acquitted from the charge brought against 
us, and absolved from the condemnation with which we were threat- 
ened. With regard to us, the condemnation was deserved, and the 
charge was true. This renders the case so difficult and peculiar, and 
calls for the apostle's development. 

But in exposing the source of the privilege, he seems to use a tau- 
tology : " Being justified freely by his grace" If it be done freely, it 
must be of grace ; and if it be gracious, it must be free. Yet this is 
not saying too much. Paul knew that men were proud and vain, and 
that, as Simon Magus thought of purchasing the Holy Ghost with 
money, so they, in dealing with God about their souls, wish to be mer- 
chants rather than suppliants, and would seem to buy, while they are 
compelled to beg. But surely, if it be not saying too much, it is saying 
enough. Surely after this, the freeness and graciousness of the thing 
cannot be questioned. It is not only free and gracious, as opposed to 
constraint, but as opposed to worthiness. Merit in a sinner is impossi- 
ble ; his desert lies all on the other side. There he is worthy, and worthy 
of death. A man who asks a favor may have no claim upon you, but 
you may also have no demand upon him ; and therefore, though you may 
justly refuse him, yet you have no right to apprehend and punish him. 
But God had a right to punish and destroy us, and it is of his mercies 
that we are not consumed. It is also free and gracious, as opposed to 
desire. This is undeniable with regard to the constitution and accom- 
plishment of the plan itself, for these long preceded even our being. 
But is it true with regard to the application of it ? The publican 
prayed, " God be merciful to me a sinner," and went down to his house 
justified. And you sought, and found. But what induced you to seek ? 
A sense of your want of this blessing. But how came you to feel this, 
after being so long insensible of it? Hearing such a preacher. But 
who made this preacher, and sent him, and placed him in your way, 
and applied what he said to your heart? And the same may be asked 
with regard to any other instrumentality. Go as far back as you 
please ; when you arrive, you will find Him there before you, with all 
his preparations and excitements, and will hear him say, as you ap- 
proach, " Come, for all things are now ready." 

But the apostle tells us of the medium of the privilege : " Through 
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." And it is obvious he did not 
deem this inconsistent with the former. He knew that it was still 
freely by his grace. It was with God to determine whether the law 
should take its course, or the penalty be transferred to the surety ; for 
the sentence was, "The soul that sinneth it shall die." It was there- 



174 MORNING EXERCISES. 

fore an instance of his sovereign grace to admit a substitute. Besides, 
if he required reparation, he himself provided the Lamb for a burnt- 
offering. Herein " God hath commended his love towards us, in that 
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," and hence the exclama- 
tion, "Herein is love ; not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and 
sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." We have an illustra- 
tion of this in the case of Job's friends. They had displeased God, and 
yet he was willing that they should be reconciled. He therefore or- 
dered a proceeding that should be available : ;< Therefore take unto you 
now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and 
offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering ; and my servant Job shall pray 
for you ; for him will I accept : lest I deal with you after your folly." 
The sacrifice and the intercession of Job did not dispose God to show 
them mercy, for he prescribed them ; but they were the way in which 
he chose to exercise it. And thus " He laid on him the iniquities of 
us all." " He made him, who knew no sin, to be a sin-offering for us, 
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." This redemp- 
tion, therefore, is the effect of his goodness. He loved his own Son 
because he laid down his life for us, and highly exalted him because he 
was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

We cannot say too much of God's mercy ; this is the origin of all 
our hopes. But surely he had a right to determine the way in which 
it should be extended towards those who had no claims upon it ; and 
of the propriety of the way, both with regard to himself and also with 
regard to us, he was the only competent judge. And therefore, if he 
has appointed a way, and revealed it in his word, ignorance, pride, or 
rebellion only can lead us to oppose or neglect it, and wretchedness 
and ruin must be the sure result of it. If we could not see the reason- 
ableness of the dispensation, yet, if He has declared that it " became 
him," we should be bound to acquiesce and adore. But we can see 
that he has herein abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence ; 
that here mercy and truth meet together, righteousness and peace kiss 
each other ; that the law is magnified, and made honorable ; that sin 
is condemned in the flesh ; that God is just, while he justifies the un- 
godly who believeth in Jesus ; and that every end that could have been 
answered by the destruction of the sinner, has been equally — better, in- 
finitely better, answered by the death of the Saviour. 

And now what wait we for? We are accepted in the Beloved. 
Let us come in his name. Let us draw near in full assurance of faith. 
Let us joy in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have 
now received the atonement. And let us not conceal, but zealously 
and gladly make known the blessedness that has brought us into the 
glorious liberty of the sons of God. 



APRIL 13. 175 

APRIL 13. 

"Upon one stone shall be seven eyes." Zech. 3 : 9. 

The Lord Jesus is often called a stone, and seldom without some 
attribute of distinction. Thus Peter calls him, " A living stone," and 
Isaiah, "A tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation." 
And here the use of him is announced. He is the basis to sustain the 
complete salvation of the church of God, which is his house, his temple. 
Of such a structure how great would be the fall. The crash would be 
heard beyond the stars. But what can bear up for ever the weight of 
such an edifice ? Our worthiness and works ; our righteousness and 
strength ? Better would the sliding sand, the leaf of autumn, the down 
of the thistle support St. Paul's cathedral, or one of the pyramids of 
Egypt, or the pillars of the earth. But He is infinitely equal to the 
importance of his station, and whoso believeth on him shall not be 
ashamed. 

But let us observe the notice He was to excite and engage : " Upon 
one stone shall be seven eyes." Seven is not to be taken here literally. 
It is what the Jews call a perfect number, and is designed to indicate 
a great multitude. Thus God says, If ye walk contrary to me, I also 
will walk contrary to you, and will punish you seven times for your 
iniquities ;' that is, often and severely. Shall I forgive my brother, 
says Peter, until seven times ? 

Let us look at a little of the accomplishment. The eye of God was 
upon him. No finite understanding can conceive the complacency He 
had in contemplating him, while achieving the redemption of his peo- 
ple, and finishing the work that was given him to do, " in whom," says 
He, " my soul delight eth." 

We read of an innumerable company of angels. The eyes of these 
were upon him. He was seen of angels. They announced and carolled 
his birth. They ministered to him in the wilderness. 

" Through all his travels here below 
They did his steps attend ; 
Oft gazed, and wondered where at last 
The scene of love would end. 

Around the bloody tree 

They pressed, with strong desire 
That wondrous sight to see — 

The Lord of Life expire ; 
And could their eyes have known a tear, 
Had dropped it there in sad surprise." 

The eye of Satan was upon him. He watched him through life, 
hoping to make a prey of him, as he had done of the first Adam. But 
here was the Lord of heaven, and he found nothing in him. 

The eyes of men were upon him. Simeon saw him, and wished to 
see nothing else. Blind Bartimeus saw him, and followed him in the 
way. Judas saw him closely for three years, and confessed that he had 



176 MORNING EXERCISES. 

betrayed innocent blood. Pilate saw him judicially, and said, I am 
pure from the blood of that just man. The centurion watched him in 
death, and said, This man was the Son of God. And all the people that 
came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, 
smote their breasts, and returned. Mary, his mother, was standing by 
the cross — she saw him ; and what were her emotions when she viewed 
the head that had oft reposed upon her bosom, fall upon his shoulder, 
and yielding up the ghost ! After his resurrection, then were the dis- 
ciples glad when they saw the Lord. Have not I seen Christ? says 
Paul. Yes ; and even at mid-day he shone above the brightness of the 
sun. 

And how many thousands and millions have seen him since, not 
with the eye of the body, but of the mind ; not with the eye of sense, 
but of faith. Indeed, this is the grand essential : " He that seeth the 
Son, and believeth on him, hath everlasting life.' 7 The one single de- 
sign of the gospel, and all the ordinances of religion, is to bring the 
eyes of men to fix upon him, for there is salvation in no other. He 
therefore cries, "Behold me! behold me!" Every minister endeavors 
only to awaken attention to him, saying, with John, "Behold the Lamb 
of God, that taketh away the sin of the world I" 

Ah, Christians, it is your grief, not that you are so little known 
and regarded, but that so few eyes are upon him. But more are view- 
ing him than you are aware of. And soon Jews shall look upon him 
whom they have pierced, and " Gentiles shall come to his light, and 
kings to the brightness of his rising. Yea, all kings shall fall down 
before him, and all nations shall serve him." 

And in another world he is all in all. There he draws every eye, 
and employs every tongue. There his servants shall serve him, and 
they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their forehead. 
glorious hope ! " It doth not yet appear what we shall be ;" but this 
we know, that " when he shall appear, we shall be like him .; for we 

Shall SEE HIM AS HE IS." 



APRIL 14. 



"The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken in their pits, of 
whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen." Lam. 4 : 20. 

The words are spoken of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. And 
two things are to be noticed and improved. First, how his people re- 
garded him : they called him, " The breath of their nostrils ;" that is, 
he seemed as dear and necessary as the air they respired. How prone 
are we to make too much of creatures. To love them properly is a 
duty ; to overvalue them is folly and sin. Yet even Christians are in 
danger of this, according to the apostle John : " Little children, keep 
yourselves from idols." And who can cast stones at Zedekiah's sub- 
jects ? Is there no being who is the breath of our nostrils ? Have we 
never made flesh our arm ; never said of a child, " This same shall com- 



APRIL 14. 177 

fort us ;" never called gold our hope ? What is all sin, but a departure 
from God, a transferring of that fear and confidence and dependence 
and homage to the creature, which are due to the Creator, God over 
all. blessed for evermore ? Religion is nothing but a compliance with 
the demand, " My son, give me thy heart." 

Secondly, observe how he disappointed them. They reposed their 
trust in him, and expected that under his empire they should enjoy 
security and happiness among the surrounding nations. " We said of 
him, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen : but he was 
taken in their pits " — alluding to his unsuccessful effort to escape, when 
Jerusalem was broken up — " all the men of war fled, and went forth 
out of the city by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, 
which was by the king's garden : but the army of the Chaldeans pur- 
sued after the king, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho : 
and all his army were scattered from him. Then they took the king, 
and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of 
Hamath ; where he gave judgment upon him." Thus painfully were 
their hopes deceived ; and their idol, instead of defending and blessing 
them, was himself bereaved and blinded and imprisoned for life. " And 
the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes ; he slew 
also all the princes of Judah in Riblah. Then he put out the eyes of 
Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him in chains, and carried 
him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death." Thus 
liable are we to disappointment when we confide in creatures. " The 
inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good ; but evil came down 
from the Lord unto the -gate of Jerusalem." li Behold," says Hezekiah, 
" for peace I had great bitterness." 

The young are peculiarly exposed here, owing to their ignorance 
and inexperience. Yet the older are not always wise. But are we 
not the authors of our own disappointments? We disregard history 
and observation and the word of truth, and look for that from creatures 
which they are neither designed nor able to afford. There is no assur- 
ance of the continuance of any earthly possessions or enjoyments : they 
are liable to outward violence ; they are corruptible in their qualities ; 
they perish in the using. 

And there is not only a physical, but a moral uncertainty in their 
duration ; for when we look to them rather than God, God will either 
take them away, that we may make him the only strength of our heart, 
and our portion for ever, or, if he leaves them, he will take away the 
comfort from them, and render them our rebukes; for whatever we 
make the means of our forsaking or forgetting God, God will make the 
instrument of chastising us. We may therefore often read our sin in our 
sufferings ; and it will be well if the remnant of Israel no more shall 
stay upon him that smote them, but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy 
One of Israel, in truth. 

Many have had reason to say, " It is good for me that I have been 
afflicted." The dispensation that removed a creature introduced them 

Morn. Exec. 1 2 



178 MORNING EXERCISES. 

to the God of all grace, and the valley of Achor became the door of 
hope. And so it has been, not only in the commencement, but in the 
progress of the divine life. The Lord's people have been enriched by 
their worldly losses, and, in the failures of human dependences, they 
have taken a fresh hold of his arm, and said, " I will trust, and not be 
afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song ; he also is 
become my salvation." A good man being observed to be as cheerful 
in adversity as he had been in prosperity, assigned as the reason, " When 
I had every thing about me, I enjoyed God in all ; and now I have 
nothing, I enjoy all in God." And happy he who, when he abounds, 
can say with the poet, 

" To thee we owe our wealth and friends, 
Our health, and safe abode : 
Thanks to thy name for meaner things ; 
But they are not my God." 

And who, when he is abased, can say with the prophet, " Although the 
fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines ; the labor 
of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat ; the flock shall 
be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls : yet I 
will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." 



APEIL 15. 

"Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled." Matt. 26 : 56. 

Let us look at this lamentable fact, in connection with the disciples, 
the Saviour, and ourselves. 

With regard to the disciples, it shows us their weakness and deprav- 
ity. They fled from fear, but their fear was needless. He had stipu- 
lated for their safety, when he surrendered himself in the garden : " If 
therefore ye seek me, let these go their way ; that the saying might be 
fulfilled, Of them which thou hast given me, I have lost none." They 
were under great obligations to him. He had done much for them in 
calling them by his grace, and dignifying them with the apostleship. 
And he was now going to bleed and die for them. And they had pro- 
fessed a great attachment to him, for when Peter said, Though I should 
die with thee, I will not deny thee, so said all his disciples. Yet they 
all forsook him, and fled. Lord, what is man ! 

Yet this culpable cowardice was overruled for good ; for their very 
declension made their witness, after his resurrection, the more unex- 
ceptionably credible, and the weakness of their faith has proved the 
strengthening of ours. They were not persons of hasty belief. They 
had doubted, and for the time abandoned the cause, saying, "We trusted 
it had been He which should have redeemed Israel," and were repair- 
ing to their former homes and callings. What could have rallied them, 
and brought them back, and inspired them with courage to go forth 
and bear reproach and persecution and death, and his name, but a con- 
viction that nothing could resist ? 



APRIL 15. 179 

With regard to the Saviour, this was a part, and a very trying part 
of his abasement and passion. A friend is born for adversity. Then 
his presence, his sympathy, his countenance is peculiarly desirable and 
necessary. Common humanity says, To him that is afflicted, pity should 
be showed of his friend. But he looked for some to take pity, and there 
was none, and for comforter, and he found none. These men had been 
three years with him ; they could have borne witness to his freedom 
from sedition, his innocency, his piety. They could have cheered him 
by their standing at his side, and their determination to suffer with 
him. But one betrayed him, another denied him, and all forsook him, 
and fled. Behold, and see, if ever there was sorrow like unto his sor- 
row ! Yet he foresaw and foretold this : " The hour cometh, and is 
now come, that ye shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall 
leave me alone." This enhanced his anguish. He suffered in the ap- 
prehension as well as in the reality. But it also enhanced his love. 
He was not drawn into any part of his suffering by ignorance or sur- 
prise ; he knew all, all was before him, but he turned not his back. 

With regard to ourselves, it may teach us not to sink or wonder if 
we should be deserted by those from whom we had reason to look for 
better things. Did not one tell David, " Behold, Ahithophel is among 
the conspirators with Absalom?" And did not he groan, "It was. not 
an enemy that reproached me ; then I could have borne it : neither 
was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me ; then I 
would have hid myself from him. But it was thou, a man mine equal, 
my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, 
and walked unto the house of God in company ?" Did not Job com- 
plain, " My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream 
of brooks they pass away ; which are blackish by reason of the ice, and 
wherein the snow is hid : what time they wax warm, they vanish ; when 
it is hot, they are consumed out of their place ?" Did not Paul say, 
J At my first answer, no man stood by me, but all men forsook me ; I 
pray God that it may not be laid to their charge ?" Above all, " lest 
ye be wearied and faint in your minds," consider the Lord Jesus. " Is 
the servant above the master, or the disciple above his Lord ?" 



APRIL 16. 

"I will not leave you comfortless : I will come to you." John 14 :18. 

These tender words are part of our Saviour's farewell address to 
his disciples, immediately after the holy supper. 

We see in them his kindness. These disciples had shown many 
defects, and had very little improved any of their advantages ; but 
loving his own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end. 
They were now going to prove themselves very unworthy, and he fore- 
saw and foretold what, according to their present views and feelings, 
seemed perfectly incredible to themselves, that they would all forsake 
him in the hour of trial, notwithstanding their obligations and profes- 



180 MORNING EXERCISES. 

sions. They were going to leave him comfortless, as far as it depended 
upon them, and to induce him to complain, " I looked for some to take 
pity, and there was none, and for comforter, and I found none." But, 
much as they deserved it, " I will not." says he, " leave you comfortless.'' 
11 1 will " — not to punish or upbraid, but to relieve and encourage — " I 
will come to you." 

Here also we perceive his greatness. When we are going away 
from our connections to some distant place, we may speak of our re- 
turn, but it must be conditionally. We are not sure of the event ; it 
does not depend upon us, and we ought always to say, " If the Lord 
will, we shall live, and do this or that." But when we die, we know 
our return is impossible, and our friends know it, and weep most of all 
that they will see our faces no more. The dying pastor cannot say to 
his anxious flock, I will not leave you comfortless ; I will come to you, 
and again feed you with the bread of life. The dying father cannot 
say to his family, mourning around his bed, I will come again and pro- 
vide for you. One of the most touching circumstances in the beautiful 
lines of Cowper, on his mother's picture, is the delusion employed to 
comfort him : 

" Thy maidens, grieved themselves at my concern, 

Oft gave me promise of thy quick return ; 

What ardently I wished, I long believed ; 

And disappointed still, was still deceived. 

By disappointment every day beguiled, 

Dupe of to-morrow even from a child — 

Thus many a sad to-morrow came and went, 

Till, all my stock of infant sorrow spent, 

I learned, at last, submission to my lot ; 

But, though I less deplored thee, ne'er forgot." 

And the same lesson we must all learn with regard to every dear de- 
light we here enjoy. The departing Joseph said unto his brethren, u I 
die ; and God will surely visit you." He does not say, I will visit you ; 
he knew he was going the way whence he could not return. But di- 
vinity here speaks, as well as friendship : " I will not leave you com- 
fortless ; I will come to you." This is the language not only of fore- 
knowledge, but of sovereign dominion ; the language of one who had 
the keys of hell and of death ; of one who said, No man taketh my life 
from me ; I lay it down of myself : I have power to lay it down, and I 
have power to take it again. Even death would not interrupt his good- 
ness. His entering another world would not affect his intercourse with 
his people in this. His presence with them was not confined to his 
bodily residence. While on earth, he said, " The Son of man who is in 
heaven." And now, though in heaven, he is no less on earth. " Lo," 
said he, " I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." 

And can we help perceiving here how indispensable he is to the 
happiness of his people ? The disciples were comfortless in the view 
of his absence ; and it is easy to account for this, both from their at- 
tachment to him, and from the pleasure and profit they had derived 



APRIL 17. 181 

from him. We feel and tremble and groan at parting with a friend or 
relation. What must the feelings of the disciples have been at the 
thought of losing him ? They would be left in the world like sheep 
without their shepherd ; like travellers in a wilderness without their 
guide ; like orphans bereaved of the father's care and the mother's 
bosom. And what could comfort them but the promise of himself 
again ? Had he said, I will not leave you comfortless, I will send you 
riches and honors ; princes shall be your friends, and angels your ser- 
vants; what would all this have been without the assurance, "/will 
come to you ?" But this is sufficient. Here is a resource equal to the 
exigency, a consolation adequate to all the distress. 

The good found in creatures is always finite, and very limited. It 
is also much dispersed, so that we must apply to many to contribute 
their part to make up one comfort. The happiness we derive from 
creatures is like a beggar's garment; it is made up of pieces and 
patches, and is worth very little after all. But the blessedness we de- 
rive from the Saviour is single and complete. In him all fulness 
dwells. He is coeval with every period. He is answerable to every 
condition. He is a physician, to heal ; a counsellor, to plead ; a king, 
to govern ; a friend, to sympathize ; a father, to provide. He is a 
foundation, to sustain ; a root, to enliven ; a fountain, to refresh. He 
is the shadow from the heat, the bread of life, the Morning Star, the 
Sun of righteousness — all, and in all. No creature can be a substitute 
for him, but he can supply the place of every creature. He is all my 
salvation, and all my desire. My hope, my peace, my life, my glory, 
and joy. 

Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth 
that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth ; but thou art 
the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. I cannot be ex- 
posed ; I cannot be friendless ; I cannot be poor ; I cannot be fearful ; 
I cannot be sorrowful with thee. 

" If thou, my Jesus, still art nigh, 
Cheerful I live, and cheerful die ; 
Secure, when mortal comforts flee, 
To find ten thousand worlds in thee." 



APRIL 17. 

"Behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts." Zech. 3 : 9. 

This is spoken of the stone upon which were to be seven eyes, and 
which intends the Messiah, the foundation laid in Zion. 

To engrave, is to pierce and cut. When he became a man of sor- 
rows ; when he said, Reproach hath broken my heart ; when he gave his 
back to the smiters, and his cheek to them that plucked off the hair ; 
when the crown of thorns entered his temples, and the nails his hands 
and feet, and the spear his side, then, my soul, was this scripture ful- 
filled. 

As there is no engraving without wounding, so to engrave is to 



182 MORNING EXERCISES. 

embellish and beautify. And lie was made perfect through suffering. 
Hence, " I do cures," said he, " to-day and to-morrow, and the third day 
I shall be perfected." Hence he calls the season of his passion the 
hour in which he was to be " glorified." Hence he adds, " Now is the 
judgment of this world : now shall the prince of this world be cast out. 
Ajid I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." 
And the richest display of his graces, and the acquirement of the dis- 
pensation of the Spirit, and the dominion he exercises in our nature, 
and the prerogative of judging the world in righteousness, and the 
praises he will inhabit through eternal ages, all these resulted from his 
sufferings, according to the language of divine prophecy and history : 
" When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall prolong his 
days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall 
see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied ; by his knowledge 
shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniqui- 
ties." "Because he was obedient unto death, even the death of the 
cross, therefore God hath exalted him, and given him a name above 
every name." 

"And as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly." To 
a person unacquainted with the process, the pruning of the tree, the 
cleaving of the ground with the ploughshare, the operation of the chisel 
on the stone, would look like an effort to injure or destroy. But view 
the thing afterwards. Behold the vine adorned with purple clusters ; 
survey the field, yielding the blade, the ear, the full corn in the ear ; 
examine the carved work when the sculptor has achieved his design, 
and fixed it in the proper place. 

Christians are sometimes perplexed and discouraged because of 
their trials. They know not what God is doing with them. They fear 
he is angry, and going to crush and destroy. But they are his work- 
manship. He is preparing them for their destination in the temple of 
his grace. These trials are applied to qualify and advance them. They 
will only perfect that which concerneth them. Howard was taken by 
the enemy, and confined in prison. There he learned the heart of a 
captive ; and his experience originating in his suffering, excited and 
directed his thoughts, and led him into all his extraordinary course of 
usefulness and fame. "It is good for me," says David, "that I have 
been afflicted." I know, says Paul, that this shall turn to my salvation. 
" For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a 
far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." 



APRIL 18. 



" Another parable spake he unto them : The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, 
which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." 
Matt. 13 : 33. 

We may consider the kingdom of heaven as intending the empire 
of the gospel in the world, and also the empire of grace in the heart. 
Let us confine our attention to the latter. 



APRIL 18. 183 

The leaven in the meal is a foreign importation. It is not naturally 
in the meal, nor derived from it. It is the same with divine grace. 
Though it resides in us, it does not arise from us ; for in our natural 
state dwelleth no good thing. It is altogether a new production ; and 
so alien is it from the man himself who is the subject of it, that the 
introduction of the principle occasions a ferment or contest, that lasts 
for life ; the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the 
flesh. 

The leaven in the meal is active and operating. There it works, 
and evinces its residence by its agency. And the grace of God, is this 
a dead, powerless thing ? Is it a notion, or a principle ? We read of 
the work of faith, the labor of love, the patience of hope. The same 
may be said of repentance : "What carefulness it wrought in you ; yea, 
what zeal ; yea, what revenge!" I will show thee, says James, my faith 
by my works : I will show thee the sun by its shining, and the spring by 
the streams. Faith justifies the soul, but works justify faith, and prove 
it to be of the operation of God. 

The leaven is assimilating. It converts, it changes ; not by destroy- 
ing the substance of the meal, but altering the quality : communicating 
its own property, tincture, relish. It is the same here. We are trans- 
formed by the renewing of the mind. The man remains physically the 
same as he was before — the same in his relations, talents, condition, busi- 
ness. Yet he is another man, a new man. He is evangelized. He has 
something of the holy and heavenly nature of divine truth in him. If 
the grace of God be light, it enlightens him ; if salt, it seasons him ; 
if glory, it glorifies him ; if leaven, it leavens him. 

The operation of the leaven is gradual. The effect in the meal is 
not produced at once, but by degrees. And do we not read of being 
renewed day by day ; of going from strength to strength ; of being 
changed into the same image, from glory to glory? The work would 
want the evidence of analogy, if it were instantaneous. In the family 
we see children becoming young men, and young men becoming fathers. 
In the field we see first the blade, then the ear, and after that the full 
corn in the ear. Some are not sensible of their religious advancement, 
and the reason is, they judge by the growing, rather than by the growth. 
The one escapes us, the other is perceptible. 

Were you to stand by the side of the most rapidly growing plant, 
you would not see it grow, but you would see when it was grown. 
Thus judge yourselves, and see whether there is not an increase in 
your convictions of sin, and the vanity of the world, and the precious- 
ness of the Saviour. Thus look at your dispositions, your dependence, 
your taste, your diligence, your self-denial in the service and ways of 
God. 

The influence of the leaven is diffusive. Commencing from the 
centre, it reaches, in due time, to the extremities, and penetrates every 
particle of the meal. The grace of God is lodged in the heart, but it is 
not confined there. It reaches all the powers of the man's mind, and 



184 MORNING EXERCISES. 

all the senses of his body. It enters all his situations and circumstan- 
ces in life. It affects him in the field, in the shop, in the family, in all 
his connections, in all his civil and common actions, and whether he 
eats or drinks, or whatever he does, he does all to the glory of God. 

And as the leaven ultimately attains its object, and leavens the 
whole, so here the issue of the grace of God will be universal and com- 
plete holiness. It will sanctify us wholly — body, soul, and spirit. It 
will perfect that which concerneth us. And the result is sure, even 
now. How small soever the leaven is, compared with the mass, the less 
will prevail and subdue the greater. The dawn will chase away the 
night, and blaze in full day. He which hath begun a good work will 
perform it ; let us not despise, therefore, the day of small things, either 
in ourselves or others. 



APRIL 19. 

"We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." 1 John 3 : 16. 

Itf the beginning of the gospel this test of love was frequently 
required, and Christians not only dared to be companions of them that 
suffered, but were ready to suffer for them. So Paul testifies of Pris- 
cilla and Aquila, his helpers in Christ : " Who," says he, "have for my 
life laid down their own necks : unto whom not only I give thanks, but 
also all the churches of the Gentiles.' 7 It is well the providence of 
God does not call us to such a severe trial. But surely the principle 
requires us to be ready to do every thing in our power on their behalf, 
and will not allow us to refuse any service or sacrifice for our brethren, 
however arduous. 

We may do much for their minds, by dissipating their doubts, remov- 
ing their fears, and bringing them comfort in their spiritual distresses. 
Thus Jonathan went to David in the wood, and strengthened his hand 
in God. " Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart ; so doth the sweet- 
ness of a man's friend by hearty counsel." A Christian is self-suspi- 
cious, and is afraid of every conclusion in his own favor drawn by him- 
self. He sees not the consolation to which he is entitled, though so 
near him ; but another, like the angel to Hagar, may open his eyes and 
show him the well. Sometimes he is cast down, supposing many things 
are peculiar to himself; especially those painful feelings which arise 
from the assaults of Satan, and his conflict with indwelling sin, more 
and more of which he is continually discovering. But you can relieve 
him by opening your own experience, and letting him know that it is so 
with you. There is another important case : " Brethren, if a man be 
overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the 
spirit of meekness ; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." 

What can be dearer to a man than reputation? A good name is 
rather to be chosen than great riches ; but it may be injured in various 
ways. And surely we ought to be alive to a brother's character, and 
willingly throw ourselves between him and the strife of tongues. When 



APRIL 19. 185 

any thing is said to his disparagement, we should show that charity 
which rejoiceth not in iniquity, but hopeth all things. We should frown 
away the slander of insinuation. We should not allow a relater to go 
on, without inquiring whether he will allow us to name it to the person 
aggrieved, or to the person from whom he affirms he has derived it. 
What a world of calumny and mischief would this single expedient 
prevent ! He that helps not in the circulation of the report, yet if he 
pleasingly or even patiently sits to hear it, shares half the blame ; and, 
as Dr. South says, the talebearer and the tale-hearer should be both 
hanged up back to back, only the one by the tongue, and the other by 
the ear. 

The body may need help. And our Saviour bore our infirmities and 
sicknesses, by compassion and sympathy. His commiseration could 
bear them away from the sufferers. We cannot perform miracles, but 
we may be useful by medical aid, and by personal attendance and succor. 
And where the malady cannot be removed, the enduring may be allevi- 
ated. Is it nothing to the patient, that you visit him in his affliction ; 
that he sees you at the side of the bed of languishing ; that, by your 
tears and prayers, you are answering to the address, Pity me, pity me, 
ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me ? 

The estate of our brethren may call for assistance, and is to be 
relieved according to our ability. It will be as base in us as unprofita- 
ble to them to say, Depart in peace ; be ye warmed and filled ; while we 
give them not those things which are needful to the body. " Whoso 
hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth 
up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God 
in him ?" Job could say, The blessing of him that was ready to perish 
came upon me, and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. It was 
the saying of our Lord, It is more blessed to give than to receive. It 
was the glory of Christianity, in its first powerful effect, that none who 
embraced it "lacked." As glory in heaven, and as grace on earth, so 
the blessings of Providence were free and open to all. The property 
of Christians went along with their affections, " and distribution was 
made to every one as he had need." And so tender were they of each 
other, that " the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and 
of one soul : neither said any of them that aught of the things which 
he possessed was his own ; but they had all things common." " Oh, 
this is no rule for us." Well, take it and interpret it in your own way. 
Yet will not what even you infer from it as a duty, include much more 
than is now found in the temper and practice of Christians ? " But we 
are not able." This is commonly the language of those who are able, 
but not willing. Some incapacitate themselves. A decent distinction 
above the vulgar will not satisfy them ; they must be splendid in dress, 
and luxurious in table, and magnificent in furniture. Others are dis- 
abled by hoarding. If accumulation be not condemned by Christianity, 
the extent of it is. A man may decently provide for his family without 
wishing to leave them in the snares of affluence, and with a heap of 



186 MORNING EXERCISES. 

wealth, which, if they do not dissipate by vice and excess, they are likely 
only to be concerned to enlarge. And may not persons increase their 
powers of beneficence by diligence and economy and self-denial ? And 
is not self-denial the first lesson in the school of Christ? And you 
know the grace of Him who, though he was rich, yet for your sakes 
he became poor, that you, through his poverty, might be rich. "We 

OUGHT TO LAY DOWN OUR LIVES FOR THE BRETHREN." 



APRIL 20. 

"And being in an agony, lie prayed more earnestly." Luke 22 : 44. 

And what must this agony have been, when it is added, that " his 
sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground !" 
What, my soul, could have caused this ? 

But let us now observe his deportment ; for we are not only to view 
him in his passion as our Mediator, but as also suffering for us, to leave 
us an example that we should follow his steps. "In his agony he prayed 
more earnestly.' 7 Not that he was cold and formal before in his devO' 
tions, but as the hour and power of darkness advanced, and he began 
to be sore amazed and very heavy, and his soul was exceeding sorrow? 
ful, even unto death, there was more excitement in his feelings and ve- 
hemency in his manner of expression. Now were the days of his flesh, 
in which, with strong cryings and tears, he made supplications to Him 
who was able to save him from death. So it is to be with us. Prayer 
is never out of season. We see this in the life of Jesus. On what oc- 
casion did he not pray ? But there is a time when it is specially sea- 
sonable. Therefore says God, " Call upon me in the day of trouble. 75 
"Is any afflicted? Let him pray." Prayer is the design, the refuge, 
the solace, the improvement of affliction ; and the greater the distress 
and anguish we are in, the more necessary will it be both for our sanc- 
tification and support. Let us therefore be the more importunate. In 
the greatness of our distress, 

Let us not, like Adam and Eve, flee, and endeavor to hide ourselves 
from God, but pray. 

Let us not, like Cain, begin to build, and try, by worldly projects, 
to dissipate our grief, but pray. 

Let us not, like Jonah, fret under the loss of our gourds, and tell 
God himself that we do well to be angry, even unto death, but pray. 

Let us not, like Ephraim and Judah, repair to creatures : " When 
Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wounds, then went 
Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb ; yet could he not 
heal them, or cure them of their wound " — but pray. 

Let us not, like Saul, who went to the witch of Endor, repair to the 
devil himself, by error, drunkenness, and sin, but pray. 

Let us not, like Ahithophel and Judas, have recourse to suicide, and 
plunge into hell for relief, but pray. Let us say, with the church, 
" Come, and let us return unto the Lord ; for he hath torn, and he will 



APRIL 21. 187 

heal us ; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up f or, with Job, 
" Though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him J 1 

" 1 seem forsaken and alone, 
I hear the lions roar, 
And every door is shut but one, 
And that is Mercy's door. 

There, till the dear Deliverer comes, 

1 11 wait, with humble prayer ; 
And when he calls his exile home, 

The Lord shall find me there." 



APRIL 21. 

"Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified." Matt. 28 : 5. 

This was the address of an angel to Mary Magdalene and the other 
Mary that had come to see the sepulchre before the break of day. They 
were last at the cross, and first at the tomb. Favors are given sove- 
reignly by the Lord, but honor is conferred according to a rule ; and 
the rule is this, " Them that honor me I will honor." 

These women were informed of his resurrection before the apostles. 
The apostles received the intelligence from them, but they received it 
from an angel. At first these pious visitants were afraid. And what 
wonder, when we consider that they were females ; that all their sensi- 
bilities were alive ; that they were in the garden of another ; that they 
were alone ; that the earth was reeling under them ; that the guards 
were fleeing, and perhaps shrieking ; that it was early in the morning, 
and the remaining darkness rendered more visible and awful the divine 
messenger sitting at the door of the tomb, his countenance as lightning, 
and his raiment white as snow. But says the angel, " You have nothing 
to apprehend from me. He is my Master, as well as your Saviour. I 
serve him whom ye seek ; and, having attended his resurrection, I now 
announce it to you. He is not here ; he is risen, as he said. Step for- 
ward ; come, see the place where the Lord lay." 

And it is true, in its most extended application, that they who seek 
Jesus Christ which was crucified, have really nothing to fear, whatever 
at first may dismay them. 

But who are entitled to this assurance ? Do you feel your need of 
him as once you did not, for all the purposes of salvation ? Have you 
desires after him so peculiar that nothing else can satisfy them, so pow- 
erful as to make you willing to part with whatever stands in compe- 
tition with him ? Are you determined to press through all difficulties ? 
Are you found in the use of all the means which he has appointed ? 
Are you submissively asking, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? de- 
pending on the aid of his Holy Spirit, and looking for his mercy unto 
eternal life? If you can answer these questions in the affirmative, "J 
know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified. 11 

And I also know that ye have nothing to fear. " Fear not ye. 11 



188 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Fear not that you have a graceless heart ; the very seeking is a token 
for good. It cannot be the effect of nature. " That which is of the 
flesh is flesh ; but that which is of the Spirit is spirit. They that are 
after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh ; but they that are after 
the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." 

Fear not that your search will be successless. Had he a mind to 
kill you, he would not have shown you such things as these. His aim, 
in making you sensible of your condition, was not to render you miser- 
able, but to endear himself, and to draw forth your souls after him. 
You shall not be disappointed. You may be tried, but he will appear 
to your joy. Did any ever seek him in vain? Can he deny himself? 
11 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." " Blessed are they that do 
hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." 

Fear not that you shall fall under the power of any evil. From 
what evil are you not secured? Is it temporal want? "The young 
lions may lack and suffer hunger : but they that seek the Lord shall 
not want any good thing." Is it the penalty of the law? "He has 
redeemed you from the curse of the law, having been made a curse for 
you." Is it sin ? " Sin shall not have dominion over you ; for ye are 
not under the law, but under grace." Is it the world? "This is the 
victory that overcometh the world; even our faith." Is it Satan? 
" The God of peace will bruise Satan under your feet shortly." Is it 
death? He has abolished death. "0 death, where is thy sting? 
grave, where is thy victory ?" " Nay, in all these things we are more 
than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that 
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor 
things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other 
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in 
Christ Jesus our Lord." 



APRIL 22. 

"It came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let 
thine enemies be scattered ; and let them that hate thee flee before thee. And when it 
rested, he said, Return, Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel." Num. 10 :35, 36. 

We might have expected that Aarm would have done this, as he 
was the high-priest. But Moses was the leader and commander of the 
people, and he was not offering sacrifice or burning incense, in which 
he would have offended, but performing a duty of natural as well as 
revealed religion. This is binding upon all, and especially upon public 
men. Thus Solomon, though a king, kneeled on a scaffold of wood at 
the dedication of the temple, and led himself the prayers of the nation. 
Princes, officers, magistrates, masters of families, should all be men of 
prayer. Relative as well as personal claims bind them to the duty. 

It would seem that Moses always, on these occasions, employed the 
same terms. Our Lord also, in the garden, prayed three times, saying 
the same words. It is obvious from hence, that whatever advantages 



APRIL 22. 189 

extemporaneous prayer possesses, and it has many, yet forms of prayer 
cannot be in themselves improper in public or in private. 

As Moses thus addressed God at the commencement and the con- 
clusion of every march, does it not behoove us to acknowledge him in 
all our ways, and with prayer to begin and end every day, every meal, 
every ordinance, every enterprise, every journey, every going out and 
every coming in ? 

Especially, let us think of those short and sublime addresses in our 
travelling heavenward through this wilderness world. 

Here is the marching prayer : " Rise up, Lord, and let thine enemies 
be scattered ; and let them that hate thee flee before thee f that is, 
11 Before we move, we commend ourselves to thy guidance and guardian 
care and almighty agency. We are passing not only through strange, 
but hostile regions. There are foes, open or concealed, which would 
hinder our progress, rob us, wound us, destroy us. But we are thy 
charge, and engaged in thy cause. They that hate us hate thee. Our 
enemies are thy enemies; and formidable as they are, thou canst as 
easily vanquish them as the sun, rising in his strength, can disperse the 
shadows that seem to oppose his march." Let us realize this, and we 
shall feel enough to animate us to go forward, though men, though dev- 
ils beset our path. " The Lord is my light and my salvation ; whom 
shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be 
afraid ? Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not 
fear : though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident." 

Here is the resting prayer : " Return, Lord, unto the many thou- 
sands of Israel ;'" that is, if thou goest on, in vain we are left. What 
can we do without thee in our encampment, any more than in our 
march ? Thy presence is our security, our treasure, our glory, our joy. 
What is any station without thee ? How can its duties be discharged ; 
its trials be endured ; its comforts be sanctified ? But every residence, 
with thee, is ennobled and blessed. Heaven is the only tabernacle of 
God with men. Thus the two disciples, when the Lord made as if he 
would have gone farther, constrained him, saying, It is towards evening, 
and the day is far spent ; and did he refuse ? He went in to tarry with 
them. Do we thus prize him? Do we thus pray that he would go 
where we go, and dwell where we dwell ? If not, we have a poor pros- 
pect before us. If we can live without God with us in the world, we 
mast live without him in another. But if our souls cleave to him, and 
cry, " Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy 
Spirit from me," we may rejoice in the promise, " I will never leave 
thee, nor forsake thee." 

But let me not here overlook two things : first, the number of his 
people, ; ' the many thousands of Israel." " For," unless we send out 
ignorance and bigotry to count them, "who can count the dust of Ja- 
cob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel ?" And the Lord add 
to his people, how many soever they be, a thousand-fold. Secondly, we 
should be concerned for the whole Israel of God. They all belong to 



190 MORNING EXERCISES. 

us. They are all fellow-citizens of the same community, branches of 
the same household, members of the same body. They are more inti- 
mately related, and ought to be more endeared to us than any earthly 
friends or natural relations. 

Pray therefore for the peace of Jerusalem. For your brethren and 
companions' sakes, say, Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within 
thy palaces. " Return, Lord," not unto our family, or tribe, not unto 
the thousands of Episcopalians, or Dissenters, but " unto the many thou- 
sands of Israel." " Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus 
Christ in sincerity." And, " as many as walk according to this rule, 
peace be on them and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." 



APRIL 23. 



"From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed : lead 
me to the Rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong 
tower from the enemy." Psa. 61 : 2, 3. 

He does the most important service who instructs us to pray. We 
may here learn much from the example of David. 

How would he pray? "I will cry unto thee." Crying is a substi- 
tute for speech, and also the expression of earnestness. A child can 
cry long before it can articulate, and its cries as much move the parent 
as any eloquence of words. A person in great danger, or want, or pain, 
not only utters himself, but cries out, and often aloud, according to the 
pressure of his feelings. Let me pray as I can. I may not be able to 
express my desires as some do, but if I am deeply affected by them, 
and they spring from a broken heart and contrite spirit, they shall not 
be despised. 

IVhere would he pray? "From the end of the earth will I cry unto 
thee." He means any condition, however desolate or distant, distance 
of place being put for greatness of extremity. Sometimes we may be 
thrown into situations the most trying and remote from human aid. 
But wherever we are, God is there to hear and succor us. Thus Joseph 
found him, when sold into Egypt ; and John, when he was exiled in 
Patmos ; and Paul, when tossed far off upon the sea. We are as near 
the throne of grace in one place as another. Prayer can reach him 
wherever we are, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. ''While 
they speak I will answer ; and before they speak I will hear." 

When would he pray? " When my heart is overwhelmed." Not that 
he would restrain prayer at other times — we are to pray without ceas- 
ing. It is the character of a hypocrite, that he will not always call 
upon God. There are birds who only make a noise at the approach of 
bad weather ; and there are persons who only pour out a prayer wheD 
God's chastening hand is upon them. But what should we think of a 
neighbor or friend who never called upon us but when he wanted to 
borrow or to beg ? Yet what is always proper may be sometimes pe- 
culiarly seasonable, natural, and necessary. And this is the case when 



APRIL 24. 191 

we are in trouble and affliction. Therefore says God, " Call upon me 
in the day of trouble." The answer will in due time relieve and de- 
liver. The exercise will immediately soothe and sanctify. "Is any 
afflicted ? Let him pray." 

For what would he pray ? " Lead me to the Rock that is higher than 
J" What means he by this Rock, but something which could afford 
him support when he was ready to be swallowed up ? The perfections 
of Jehovah, the everlasting covenant, the doctrine of providence, the 
Lord Jesus, who is our hope — this is the rest, and this is the refreshing. 
And yet, when the relief is provided, and when we see it too, we cannot 
reach it of ourselves. We need a divine agency to conduct us to it. 
We not only live in the Spirit, but walk in the Spirit. 

Whence- does he derive his encouragement to pray? " For thou hast 
been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy." Nothing 
can be more confirming and exciting than the review of God's former 
interpositions on our behalf, and to reason from what he has been to 
what he will be, and from what he has done to what he will do. For 
he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. " And they that know 
his name will put their trust in him." 

" His love, in time past, 

Forbids me to think 

He 11 leave me, at last, 

In trouble to sink. 
Each sweet Ebenezer 
I have in review, 
. Confirms his good pleasure 
To help me quite through." 



APRIL 24. 

"But now they are hid from thine eyes." Luke 19 : 42. 

When Pharaoh saw there was respite, he hardened 'his heart. 
Solomon tells us, " Because sentence against an evil work is not exe- 
cuted speedily, therefore the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in 
them to do evil." But God's keeping silence is not approbation. His 
long-suffering is not even connivance. He can be merciful without 
allowing us to trifle and insult him for ever. His patience has its rules 
and its bounds. And Jerusalem knew this. 

Much has been said on what is termed a day of grace, and much 
which we neither admire or believe. We are not authorized to say 
any one is beyond hope while he is yet in life. Manasseh would have 
seemed very likely to be such a desperate character, but he obtained 
mercy. 

"And while the lamp holds out to burn, 
The vilest sinner may return." 

If we cannot view any of our fellow-creatures as beyond the possi- 
bility of salvation, so we have no rule by which we can absolutely 



192 MORNING EXERCISES. 

determine against ourselves. Yet there are several things of fearful 
import to which we do well to attend. 

First, the language of the word of God is fearful. " Ephraim is 
joined to idols ; let him alone." " Israel would none of me ; so I gave 
them up to their own hearts' lust." " In thy filthiness is lewdness : 
because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not 
be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to 
rest upon thee." " If we sin wilfully after that we have received the 
knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin ; but 
a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which 
shall devour the adversaries." "Because I have called, and ye refused : 
I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded : but ye have set 
at naught all my counsel, and would none of my reproof : I also will 
laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh." "Be- 
hold, now is the accepted time : behold, now is the day of salvation." 
We offer no commentary on these passages, but surely their language 
is fearful. 

Secondly, we know that final impenitency is irrecoverably hopeless, 
and with life all our opportunities end, and this is fearful. It would 
not be kindness, but cruelty to flatter men with a contrary expectation. 
Search the Scripture, and you will always find a difference between the 
present and the future. One is a state of trial, the other of decision. 
The one is sowing, the other reaping ; and whatsoever a man soweth, 
that shall he also reap. Is not this sufficient to induce us to seek the 
Lord while he may be found, and to call upon him while he is near ? 

Thirdly, this life, upon which every thing depends, is very brief ; 
this is fearful. Look at the images of Scripture : a flower of the field ; 
a flood ; a watch in the night ; a dream ; a vapor. Consider the deaths 
that come under your own observation. Observe the frailty of your 
frame. Remember the numberless diseases and accidents to which you 
are exposed. Think of your pulse, where the question is asked sixty 
times every minute, whether you shall live or die. 

Fourthly, our continuance here is as uncertain as it is short ; this 
is fearful. "I have not had," said a good man, "a to-morrow for 
years." It would be well if we had not. Indeed, we have not in real- 
ity, whatever we may have in imagination. "Boast not thyself of to- 
morrow ; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." 

Fifthly, before this short and uncertain period terminates, many 
opportunities and advantages may elapse, to return no more ; this is 
fearful. Many convictions may die away, no more to be renewed again 
unto repentance. We may be deprived of reason ; and religion can 
only operate through the medium of thought. Old age helps on insen- 
sibility, and before we are aware, though unpardoned and unrenewed, 
we may become incapable of a moral change. The gospel may be re- 
moved from us. We may be placed where it is not in our power to 
attend it. We may become deaf or blind. Sickness may confine us to 
a room of pain, or a bed of languishing. The influences necessary to 



APRIL 25. 193 

render the means of grace effectual may be withholden. Though Paul 
plants, and Apollos waters, God alone gives the increase ; and though 
we can do nothing to deserve his grace, we may provoke his anger, and 
he may judicially give us up to a reprobate mind. The heart is har- 
dened through the deceitfulness of sin, and no less so by familiarity 
with divine things. And is not this the case with many? Once their 
consciences smote them. They dropped a tear upon their Bible. When 
walking alone among the works of God, they prayed, "Lord, I am 
thine ; save me." But Felix no more trembles. And the Gadarenes 
have besought the healer of their neighbors, and the reprover of their 
sin, to depart out of their coasts ; and he is gone for ever. 



APRIL 25. 

" In the morning, rising up a great while before day, lie went out, and departed into 
a solitary place, and there prayed." Mark 1 : 35. 

And yet he had been greatly occupied the whole of the day preced- 
ing this. We think little of time, but he never passed an idle hour. 
The whole of his life said, " I must work the works of him that sent 
me, while it is yet day : the night cometh, wherein no man can work." 
He was really a man ; he took our infirmities, and wearied nature 
required repose ; but he distinguished between the necessary and the 
needless, and even between refreshment and indulgence ; and while he 
enjoined self-denial upon his disciples as the very first lesson in his 
school, " he pleased not himself." 

It is allowed that as to the measure of sleep, no one rule can be 
laid down for all. Some require more than others. But it is question- 
able whether they require much more. Yea, it may be questioned 
whether they require any more, as to length. What they want more 
of is better sleep, and the quality would be improved by lessening the 
quantity. Let those who are now so wakeful and restless, and can only 
sleep sound when they ought to be rising, let them try the expedient, 
and see whether a few hours of sweet and solid sleep be not preferable 
to the privilege of being bedridden, rather than of enjoying repose. 

We should also inquire too, whether we have not produced the 
habit itself that now demands so much to satisfy it. If so, we are 
accountable for the cause as well as the effect. 

We should also be always fearful and suspicious when our reason- 
ings and pleadings are on the side of gratification and ease. It is here, 
where nothing sinful is thought of, and no danger appears, it is here we 
peculiarly need the admonition, " Watch and pray, lest ye enter into 
temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." 

Some live only to do evil. We do not wish them to rise early. 
They are only harmless while they sleep. 

Some live a life of mere indolence and ease. They are indeed free 
from vice, but they have no useful employment. It is of little impor- 
tance at what time they rise. There is very little difference between 

Morn. Exer 13 



194 MORNING EXERCISES. 

their sleeping and wakeful hours. The one is as barren as the other 
of any active endeavors to glorify God, or serve their generation, or 
work out their own salvation. 

But surely there are some who feel that life is infinitely important ; 
who know that they are placed here to gain good and to do good ; who 
remember that the only opportunities they have for both, are short and 
uncertain : surely these will not sleep as do others — surely these will 
feel the excitement and reproach. It is high time to awake out of sleep : 
they that sleep, sleep in the night. 

In a word, has not early rising every recommendation ? Is it not 
'physically advantageous? Is it not better for health? Consult your 
strength, your appetite, your nerves, your spirits, your complexion. 
Ask your physician. Is there a medical man upon earth that would 
risk his reputation by a contrary opinion ? Sinclair, in his volumes on 
health and longevity, remarks that though those who lived to a very 
great age differed in many things, they all resembled each other here. 
There was not one of them but rose early. 

Is it not desirable as to our civil concerns? What an advantage 
has a tradesman by early rising, in planning and arranging his concerns 
for the day ; in forwarding his work, and placing it under his command ; 
and in having leisure for any incidental engagement, without stopping 
or deranging the usual course of his calling. While another, who has 
said, A little more sleep, a little more slumber ; and who begins at ten 
what he should have commenced at six, is thrown into haste and confu- 
sion ; hurries on to overtake himself, finds through the day his duty a 
turmoil and feels himself a drudge. If we turn from the shop and 
look into the family, what a difference between the early and late mis- 
tress ; and the early and late servant ! Even those who do not prac- 
tise early rising themselves, plead for the importance of it in their 
domestics, and would never engage them without it. Indeed the repu- 
tation of every individual, whatever be his condition in life, is concerned 
in it ; and his character, in the feelings of others, is unavoidably lowered 
by late rising, unless there be a known and justifiable cause. 

Above all, is it not morally important? The heathens said the 
morning was the friend to the Muses. It is surely a friend to the Gra- 
ces. If it be the best time for study, it is also the best time for devo- 
tion. It is better to go from prayer to business than from business to 
prayer. Intercourse with God prepares us for our intercourse with our 
fellow-creatures ; and for every occurrence, whether pleasing or painful. 
Who would go out in the morning, not knowing what a day may bring 
forth, and feeling his ignorance and weakness and depravity and dan- 
ger, without retiring first and committing himself to God ? Boerhaave, 
the celebrated physician, rose early in the morning, and through life his 
practice was to retire an hour for private prayer and meditation. This, 
he often told his friends, gave him firmness and vigor for the business 
of the day. He commended it therefore from experience, as one of the 
best rules of life. The great Judge Hale, too, rose early, and retired 



APRIL 26. 195 

for prayer, and read a portion of God's word ; without which, he said, 
nothing prospered with him all the day. But see the Lord of all ; 
what did He ? 



APRIL 26. 

" Sitting at the feet of Jesus." Luke 8 : 35. 

This was a place of nearness. Love longs to be near its attraction, 
and this man loves his benefactor, and feels his obligations to his pity 
and power. 

It was a place of safety. He naturally dreaded the return of the 
malady, and the devils gaining possession of him again ; he therefore 
keeps close to his deliverer. 

It was a place of instruction. The two former purposes might 
have been answered by his sitting at the side of Jesus. But sitting at 
his feet was the position and posture of a learner. " They sat down at 
his feet," says Moses, when God was on the top of Horeb and the peo- 
ple at the bottom, " and received of his words." Isaiah, speaking of 
Abraham, says, " God called him to his feet." Martha had a sister, 
"who also sat at Jesus' feet." Saul of Tarsus "was brought up at the 
feet of Gamaliel." In all these instances there is a reference to the 
ancient and Eastern custom, when the master occupied a higher seat, 
and the scholars were sitting at his feet, as hereby he had them in view, 
and they were reminded, by their very place, of the reverence and sub- 
mission which became them as learners. 

This is the place we should all be found in. But how is it possible 
for us to sit at his feet now ? He said, I am no more in the world : and 
the heavens have received him till the restitution of all things. It is 
true he is no longer here corporeally, but he is here spiritually. He is 
not visible, but he is accessible. 

We have his throne, and his house, and his word, and his ministers, 
and his ordinances. We have himself ; for he has said, " Lo, I am with 
you alway, even unto the end of the world." " Where two or three 
are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." 
We can therefore sit at his feet. And in recommendation of this place, 
let us observe the excellences of the Master, and the advantages of his 
disciples ; for the one involves the other. 

And here we must not overlook the dignity of his character. A 
tutor seems to shed lustre over his pupils, and scholars have always 
prided themselves in the name of an illustrious preceptor. A young 
Israelitish prophet would have boasted in having been in the school of 
Samuel or Elijah. How far did the queen of Sheba come to hear the 
wisdom of Solomon ! " But behold, a greater than Solomon is here ;" 
one fairer than the children of men : he is Lord of all. See the poor 
despised Christian. He is debarred every seat of learning among 
men ; but he is under a divine instructor, and such honor have all his 
saints. For so highly are they related, so peculiar is their destination, 



196 MORNING EXERCISES. 

so sublime are the stations they are to fill, and the functions the}- are to 
discharge as kings and priests unto God for ever, that their education 
is not entrusted to a creature. " All thy children shall be taught of 
the Lord." 

There is also the perfection of his ability. In him are hid all the 
treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Other teachers may be mistaken, 
and they may deceive us. They cannot, therefore, deserve our implicit 
and absolute confidence. But he knows every thing, and every thing 
perfectly. We cannot therefore rely too much on his decisions. Heaven 
and earth may pass away, but his word shall not pass away. 

There is the kindness of his manner. Men often discourage and 
intimidate learners by their distance, hastiness, and austerity. They 
have not long-suffering and gentleness and tenderness enough to attract 
and attach the very soul of the pupil ; to soften and shame him, if per- 
verse ; to fix him, if roving and volatile ; to inspire him with confidence, 
if timid ; and to produce in him at once that freedom and application 
of mind, so essential to improvement, and so incompatible with agita- 
tion and confusion of spirit. For something besides talent — and may 
we not say, something beyond talent? — is required in a teacher. In 
proportion to the greatness of his knowledge, and the quickness and 
facility of his apprehension, a master will be tried by the imperfections 
of his scholars ; 'and the scholars will be the more liable to be abashed 
and depressed. Conscious of their ignorance and inability and slow- 
ness, they will be reluctant, and afraid to give up themselves to such a 
superior tutor, unless he has other qualities : and such a tutor will not 
be very likely to waste, as he would suppose, his time and talents upon 
such unpromising subjects. But we sit at the feet of one whose conde- 
scension equals his greatness. He will stoop to teach me, even where I 
must begin. He will accommodate himself to my wants and weakness. 
He will repeat his lessons. He will give me line upon line, precept 
upon precept, here a little and there a little, and upbraid not. Thus he 
taught his immediate disciples as they were able to bear it, and loved 
them to the end, notwithstanding their mistakes and infirmities. And 
thus he said to his hearers, " Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in 
heart." Does he not refer to himself in these attributes as a motive, as 
well as an example ? As much as to say, " You need not be afraid to 
place yourselves under my care ; I will deal tenderly with you." 

There is also the efficiency of his tuition. None teaches like him. 
Other masters teach, but they cannot make their pupils learn. They 
can improve, but they cannot impart ability ; and without some aptitude 
for an art or science, little progress will be made under the best efforts. 
What could Handel or Haydn have done with a clown without any 
taste or ear for music? But Jesus gives the capacity and the disposi- 
tion he requires. He furnishes not only the medium, but the faculty of 
vision. He makes the blind to see. And though, like the morning, we 
set off with a few rays only, our path is like that of the "shining light, 
that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." 



APRIL 21. 197 

But what are the instructions He gives ? What is all other know- 
ledge compared with this ? Ask Paul ; he was a man of genius and 
learning ; he did not despise science, yet he exclaims, " Yea, doubtless, 
and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of 
Christ Jesus my Lord." Of other knowledge we may be destitute, and 
yet safe. But this is life eternal. Other knowledge leaves us as it finds 
us j yea, it often injures the possessor, and talent caters for depravity. 
But a man at his feet feels his words to be spirit and life. He is taught 
to "deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, 
and godly in the present world." In other cases, " in much wisdom 
there is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sor- 
row ;" but, " Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound." The 
burden of guilt is removed, and they enter into rest. They cast all 
their care on Him, who careth for them. Their minds are kept in per- 
fect peace. They can not only bear, but enjoy solitude. Even in the 
midst of trouble they are revived, and rejoice in hope of the glory of 
God. How sweet are his words unto their taste ;• yea, sweeter than 
honey to their mouth. 

No wonder, therefore, the disciple prizes his privilege, and cannot 
be seduced from his Master's feet. He has been taught the truth as it 
is in Jesus. He knows the truth, and the truth has made him free. 
And therefore upon the question, when others are offended, "Will ye 
also go away ?" he answers, with Peter, Where can we do so well ? 
"Lord, to whom shall we go?" To sin? That hath ruined us. To 
the world? That has .deceived us. To the heathen philosophers? 
Their foolish hearts are darkened. To the chief priests and Phari- 
sees ? They are the blind leading the blind. To the law ? That roars, 
and flames despair. To Moses ? He wrote of thee. To thee gave all 
the prophets witness. Lord, to whom should we go but unto thee? 
" Thou hast the words of eternal life." 



APRIL 27. 
" Members one of another." Rom. 12:5. 

All mankind are joined together by a connection which only death 
can dissolve. The remoteness of the situation in which we are placed 
does not hinder this connection, but rather strengthens it. We see 
this in the traffic of different nations, and their mutual exchange of 
commodities. The inhabitants of one region cultivate the productions 
of the ground, and produce articles of manufacture for the use of those 
of another, and those of another do the same in return for them ; and 
we sometimes find the four quarters of the globe in the furniture of one 
house, or the provisions of one table. The sea, which seemed likely to 
separate the dwellers upon earth, has, in the progress of science and 
arts, rendered them accessible to each other, and navigation has become 
the principal medium of trade. 

There are various distinctions in life, and the Scripture does not 



198 MORNING EXERCISES. 

discountenance them. Neither are we to view them as selfish, or ter- 
minating only in the advantage of the superior ranks. The lowest are 
useful as well as the highest. The rich benefit the poor, and the poor 
labor for the rich. The king is the protector of his subjects, and every 
subject contributes to the support of the king — the king is served by 
the labor of the field. There is no such thing as independence, and 
were it not for ignorance and pride we should never think of it. The 
under ranks are even the basis of the community— the lowest parts of 
the wall sustain the higher. The more we rise and possess, the less 
claim have we to independence, as a larger building requires more sup- 
port than a smaller. A nobleman employs a thousand hands ; a peas- 
ant wants but two, and these are his own. 

If this reasoning be true as to men, it is more so as to Christians. 
And it is in this light Paul so frequently and largely speaks of it : "I 
say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, 
not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think ; but to 
think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure 
of faith." To show how important it is to display a mutual dependence, 
he remarks, " The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of 
thee : nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, 
much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble, 
are necessary." They have all their respective places and uses. Each 
is necessary, necessary to each, and necessary to the whole — necessary 
to the beauty, the strength, the happiness, the perfection of the whole. 
Why, then, should we set at naught a brother ? 

Yet the harmony is often broken, and a schism found in the body. 
The Christian church would never have been reduced to its present 
disjointed state if the members had not been beguiled from the sim- 
plicity that is in Christ. The first wrong step took them to a distance 
from the Spirit : and as though Christ had been divided, and had im- 
parted himself and his gospel to some, exclusively of others, the names 
of creatures became noted as the sources from which particular doc- 
trines were derived, and by whom particular modes of discipline were 
established. The words the Holy Ghost used were less regarded than 
the words which man's wisdom teacheth. The worthy name by which 
Christians were originally called was no longer sufficient. They 
ranged themselves under different leaders, and called out, " Rabbi ;" 
forgetting who had forbidden this, and that one was their Master, even 
Christ, while all they were only brethren. Hence feuds and animosi- 
ties followed, and the professors of meekness itself learned to bite and 
devour one another. The consequences of such measures are known 
and felt even at the present day ; and though much of the violence of 
religious parties has subsided, distinctions unscriptural and unneces- 
sary, in the degree at least, are supported ; and though all hold the 
same Head, the members of one communion often look for no more 
honor and assistance from those of another, than if they were not of the 
body. 



APRIL 28. 199 

But " if the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of 
the body ; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, 
Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body ; is it therefore not of 
the body ?" " But now are they many members, yet but one body," 
" that there should be no schism in the body ; but that the members 
should have the. same care one for another. And whether one member 
suffer, all the members suffer with it ; or one member be honored, all 
the members rejoice with it." " For by one Spirit are we all baptized 
into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or 
free ; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." 

Christians are not only as so many members in a natural body, but 
as so many members in a civil or domestic state. However different 
and distant they were by nature from each other, an effectual method 
has been taken by divine grace to bring them together. They are rec- 
onciled in one body by the Cross. They are no longer strangers and 
foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of 
God. Therefore they are one in Christ, by obligation as well as by 
connection and dependence. Christ, over his own house, has a right 
to enact a law for the well-ordering and governing of those placed 
under him. This law is clearly contained in the Scripture, and vain is 
every other proof of our belonging to him unless we obey it. And 
what says he? "Then are ye my disciples, if ye love one another." 
According to this, we must not live to ourselves ; each is to live for 
the good of each and of all. Even a gratification harmless in itself is 
to be avoided, if the peace of a weak conscience will thereby be de- 
stroyed. Such was the example of Paul ; such was the example of 
Jesus : " Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edifi- 
cation : for even Christ pleased not himself ; but, as it is written, The 
reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me." 



APRIL 28. 



" When Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world 
unto the Father — " John 13 : 1. 

"His hour" means the period of his death. In another place it is 
called the hour of his enemies : " This," said he, " is your hour, and the 
power of darkness." It is called their hour, because they seemed to 
have every thing their own way. They apprehended him, and mocked 
him, and scourged him, and nailed him to the cross. All their purposes 
and wishes succeeded, and they considered his cause as annihilated. 
But their triumph was short and foolish. What they had done was 
provided for, was admitted into his plan, and the very means of accom- 
plishing his design. 

It was " His hour." He was delivered by the determinate counsel 
and foreknowledge of God. There was nothing casual in his death. 
The time was appointed, and till this arrived the attempts of his adver- 
saries were vain : " They could not lay hands on him, because his hour 



200 MORNING EXERCISES. 

was not yet come." It was not only his hour by appointment, but by 
importance. No such hour had been witnessed since time had com- 
menced. No hour of his own life would bear a comparison with it. It 
was infinitely unique, wonderful, and interesting in its design and ef- 
fects. Now was the judgment of this world ; now was the prince of 
this world cast out ; now was the ceremonial law abolished ; now was 
the moral law magnified and made honorable ; now he was to finish 
transgression ; now he was to bring in everlasting righteousness ; now 
he was to open the kingdom of heaven to all believers ; now he was to 
get himself a name above every name. 

He knew that his hour was come. So perfect was his foresight of 
the event, that he knew not only the fact itself, but the incidents at- 
tending it. He knew the whole before there was any appearance of 
the thing, before his enemies had formed the design, before Judas had 
felt the thought of treason. And thus he evinced not only his wisdom, 
but his devotedness to his work. He saw the hour was at hand, but he 
seeks no hiding-place, nor attempts to escape, though he had so many 
means in his power. It does not affect this to say, that in another 
sense he was unable to have released himself, because he was bound by 
covenant engagement ; and if he saved others, himself he could not save. 
For his engagement was made in the full prospect of all he was to en- 
dure ; and as the tremendous suffering approached, so far was He from 
repenting of what he had brought upon himself, that he said, " How am 
I straitened till it be accomplished I" 

But how is his passage through this dreadful scene expressed? 
" That he should depart out of this world unto the Father." Here let 
us think of his people as well as of himself. In all things he must have 
the preeminence, but they resemble him. What is here said of his 
death, will, in a pleasing degree, apply to their own. Their death is 
not indeed like his, mediatorial, neither know they the hour when it 
will take place ; but all their times are in God's hand, and the circum- 
stances of their death, as well as of their life, fall under his arrange- 
ment. They know they have their hour, and are immortal till it 
arrives. They know that enemies cannot hasten it, that friends cannot 
retard it. They know also that it is approaching, that it cannot be far 
off, that it may be very near, and therefore that it requires a constant 
readiness. 

But was his death a " departing out of this world ?" So is theirs. 
He was in it for three and thirty years. Many of them are in it a 
shorter, and many a much longer period. It was a sad world to him. 
It knew him not, but despised and rejected him. It hated him without 
a cause. It persecuted him from his birth, refused him a place where 
to lay his head, and could not be satisfied till it had shed his blood. 
And they find it a vain and deceitful world, a vexing and injurious 
world, a vile and wicked world. Every thing in it cries, Arise, and 
depart hence ; for this is not your rest, because it is polluted. And are 
we unwilling to go ? Yes ; 



APRIL 29. 201 

" Thankless for favors from on high, 

Man thinks he fades too soon ; 
Though 't is his privilege to die, 
Would he improve the boon. 

But he, not wise enough to scan 

His best concerns aright, 
Would gladly stretch life's little span 

To ages, if he might — 

To ages in a world of pain — 

To ages, where he goes, 
Galled by affliction's heavy chain, 

And hopeless of repose. 

Strange fondness of the human heart, 

Enamoured of its harm ! 
Strange world, that costs it so much smart, 

And yet has power to charm !" 

We do not wonder indeed that this should be so much the case with 
u men of the world." They have " their portion in this life," and no 
hope of a better. Bad as it is, they know that it is the best world they 
will ever be in, and that, whatever be its troubles, to them they are 
only the beginnings of sorrow. But it is otherwise with Christians. 
They are here like Israel in Egypt, and death is their departure for the 
land of promise. They are here like strangers in an inhospitable coun- 
try, and travellers at a cheerless inn, and death is their departing to 
their delightful home. 

Was his death " a going to the Father ?" So is theirs ; that is, go- 
ing to heaven ; for the Father is there, and in his presence there is ful- 
ness of joy, and at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore. He 
went to the Father to carry on their cause, and to possess his own re- 
ward. But he had been there before. Hence he said, " I came forth 
from the Father, and am come into the world ; again, I leave the world, 
and go unto the Father." Hence he speaks of heaven without wonder. 
He had been at court ; he had resided there, and had only left it for a 
season. His return, with all the glories that should follow, was the joy 
set before him, for which he endured the cross. And as love delights 
in the welfare of its object, he expected that his disciples would rejoice 
when he said, " I go unto the Father ; for the Father is greater than I." 
But they were never there before ; all will be new and surprising to 
them. Yet they also will have their work, and will be still praising 
him. They also will drink of the rivers of his pleasure. They will 
have immediate and uninterrupted access to his Father and our Father, 
to his God and our God. And with Him is the fountain of life. 



APRIL 29. 



" And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him." Luke 
22:43. 

Thus, though the cup was not taken from him, he was heard in that 
he feared, according to the promise : "I have heard thee in a time ac- 



202 MORNING EXERCISES. 

cepted ; and in the day of salvation have I succored thee." We may 
be heard, when we are not delivered. We may be succored in distress, 
when we are not saved from it. And if the burden be not diminished, 
yet, if our ability to endure it be increased, the effect is the same. Paul 
was a proof of this. When he besought the Lord thrice that the thorn 
in the flesh might depart from him, the Saviour said, " My grace is suf- 
ficient for thee ; for my strength is made perfect in weakness." And 
says David, " In the day that I cried, thou answeredst me ; and strength- 
enedst me with strength in my soul." 

Here we see the humiliation of the Saviour. He who was rich, for 
our sakes became poor. He was in the form of God, but took upon him 
the form of a servant. He was Lord of all, but had not where to lay his 
head, and was relieved by the creatures of his power : " Certain women, 
which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Mag- 
dalene, out of whom went seven devils, and Joanna the wife of Chuza 
Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, ministered unto him 
of their substance." He was the Lord of angels ; but he was made a 
little lower than they, yea, he received assistance from them. " There 
appeared unto him an angel from heaven, strengthening him." 

What a contrast is here ! His apostles, who had been so much hon- 
ored by him, forsook him. Even Peter, James, and John, who had been 
admitted to the transfiguration, and now were selected to be with him 
in the garden, slumbered and slept. And though, when he came to 
them, and found them in this condition, he pitied them, and said, The 
spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak ; yet he felt it, deeply felt 
it, and said, " What, could ye not watch with me one hour ?". But if 
earth disowns him, heaven does not. If men abandon him, angels cry 
with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb ! " He was seen of angels." One 
of them announced his approaching conception ; another proclaimed 
his birth : a multitude of them carolled his advent. In his temptation 
in the wilderness, " behold, angels came and ministered unto him." An 
angel rolled away the stone from the door of the sepulchre, and said to 
the women, " Fear not ye ; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was 
crucified. He is not here." " Come, see the place where the Lord lay." 
And here an angel appeared unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 

He could have asked the Father, and he would have given him 
twelve legions of angels, and rescued him — what are we saying ? One 
of these would have been sufficient ; the least of them could have looked 
all his adversaries into nothing. But how then could the Scriptures be 
fulfilled, that thus it must be? And how could he have put away sin 
by the sacrifice of himself? Or how could he have sympathized with 
us if he had never suffered ? The angel therefore only strengthened him, 
reminding him of the joy that was set before him ; telling him of the 
result of his passion — the effect of it in the glory of God, and the sal- 
vation of the world ; spreading before him the promises, perhaps read- 
ing to him the prophecy of Isaiah : " When thou shalt make his soul an 
offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and 



APRIL 30. 203 

the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the 
travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied." Raising him up from the 
cold ground; supporting his fainting head; wiping away the bloody 
sweat from his dear face, so that he appeared fresh and fair and glori- 
ous in his visage, and made those who came to apprehend him go back- 
ward, and fall to the earth, when he only presented himself, and said, 
" I am he." 

In all things he has the preeminence ; and how willing are his peo- 
ple to acknowledge it. But while he is the first-born among many 
brethren, all of them are predestinated to be conformed to him. An- 
gels, therefore, who attended him, attend them also. " Are they not all 
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister unto them that are the heirs 
of salvation ?" Their attendance is no less real than formerly, though 
it is no longer visible, according to the principle of the economy under 
which we live, and which is, to walk by faith, and not by sight. They 
delight to do the will of their Lord and ours. These blessed beings 
* have no envy, no pride. They are enemies to his enemies, but they 
are friends to his friends. They rejoice when a sinner repenteth, and 
carry the dying saint into Abraham's bosom. 



APRIL 30. 

" But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee : 
there shall ye see him, as he said unto you." Mark 16:7. 

These are the words of the angel who had descended from heaven 
to attend his rising Lord. They were addressed to Mary Magdalene, 
and Mary the mother of James and Salome. These women had hon- 
ored the Saviour, and he honored them. They were the first to receive 
the announcement of his resurrection, and the first to report it. 

But observe, they were to carry the news, not to the chief priests 
and Pharisees, not to Pilate, not to Herod. It was just to leave these 
men in the darkness they loved. They rebelled against the light ; and 
no evidence would have convinced those who had already seen his mira- 
cles, and believed not. But his disciples, though timid and weak and 
imperfect, were sincere. They had forsaken all to follow him. Their 
very doubting arose from the greatness of their love, and sorrow had 
now filled their hearts. They would therefore welcome the intelligence, 
and be influenced by it as his followers and witnesses. 

But why is Peter distinctively mentioned? Because he was the 
chief of the apostles ? So far from it, the distinction reminds us of his 
humiliation. He had fallen by his iniquity, and after the most solemn 
warnings and professions, he had denied his Master with oaths and 
curses. But the look in the judgment-hall had broken his heart, and 
made him go out and weep bitterly. He was now on the verge of 
despair, and ready to say, perhaps was even now saying, Ah, he will 
disown me, and righteously disown me, for ever. The angel's naming 
him therefore on this occasion, was as much as to say, " The Saviour has 






204 MORNING EXERCISES. 

not cast thee off ; he has not forgotten to be gracious. He does not 
break a bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax, but will send forth 
judgment unto victory.'"' It also conveyed an intimation to his breth- 
ren that they were to follow his example, and " endeavor to restore such 
an one in the spirit of meekness, considering themselves lest they also 
were tempted." 

The message, more than announcing his resurrection, added that he 
would go before them into Galilee. In vain we ask how he passed 
thither. He had the power to appear and disappear, and to transport 
himself from place to place as he pleased, in a moment of time. But 
what led him down so many miles from Jerusalem ? Was it to intimate 
his forsaking that guilty city ? Woe unto you when I depart from you. 
Or was it to call them off from the strife and cruelties of their enemies? 
It was comparatively a place of security and concealment. Or was it 
that their journeying down separately, or with each other, might bring 
them to recollection, and recover them from their late cowardice and 
unbelief? Was it to tell them to withdraw, in order to be in the way 
of intercourse with him ? It was a despised place ; would he teach 
them to rise above local and vulgar prejudices, and to call nothing 
common or unclean? It is certain that he had been much in Galilee 
himself, and had many followers there. And this accounts for the 
largeness of the assembly, for the apostles would naturally inform his 
friends there of this expected interview. Hence he was now seen of 
above five hundred brethren at once ; many of whom were living when 
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, though some had fallen asleep. 

His promise that they should see him there, would prove a test of 
their faith and affection. If they valued the sight of him and believed 
his word, they would certainly repair thither. Accordingly they did 
repair thither, and there was He. Let us apply this to ourselves. There 
are means and ordinances which he has established. In these he has 
engaged to be found of those that seek him. If we rely on his truth, and 
desire communion with him, we shall gladly avail ourselves of them. And 
shall we, can we be disappointed if we do ? Has he ever said to the seed 
of Jacob, Seek ye me, in vain? He has often been better than his word, 
but who ever found him worse? Let us go therefore to his throne and 
to his house, with full and lively expectation. " In all places where I 
record my name, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee; 7 ' for 
" where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in 
the midst of them." There shall we- see him, as he has said unto us. 

He is also gone before us into heaven. Let us arise and depart 
hence, and seek him there. There shall we see him in all his glory, 
according to his promise, Where I am, there shall also my servants be. 
Oh to join him there ! To be for ever with the Lord ! . 

" glorious hour ! blessed abode ! 
I shall be near, and like my God : 
And flesh and sin no more control 
The sacred pleasures of my soul." 



MAY 1. 205 

MAY 1. 

"And I will give her her vineyards from thence." Hosea 2 : 15. 

Observe the author of these favors : J will do it, says God. Every 
good gift and every perfect gift is from him. And his people will 
readily acknowledge that all they enjoy is not only from his agency, but 
his grace. 

Observe also the richness of the supplies. I will give her — not her 
corn, corn is for necessity — but grapes ; grapes are for delight. Yea, it 
is not a vine, but a vineyard ; yea, vineyards. He engages to give, as 
if he could not do too much for them ; being concerned, not only for 
their safety, but for their welfare ; not only for their relief, but their 
enjoyment ; and not only for their tasting his consolation, but their 
being filled with all joy and peace in believing. 

Observe also the strangeness of the way in which these indulgences 
are to be communicated. For whence are these supplies to come? From 
a wilderness. " I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and 
speak comfortably unto her ; and I will give her her vineyards from 
thence" What could be looked for in a wilderness but loneliness, and 
mazes, and danger, and beasts of prey, and reptiles, and sand, and briers, 
and thorns ? Who would expect to find the vineyards of Engedi there ? 
f He only doeth wondrous things ; he is God alone." He turneth the 
shadow of death into the morning. He makes rivers in high places, 
and streams in the desert. He makes the wilderness to rejoice and 
blossom as the rose, and gives us vineyards from thence. 

The region through which his people passed in their way from Egypt 
to Canaan was a wilderness. Here read the words of Jeremiah : " Who 
led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, 
and of the shadow of death, through a land which no man passed 
through, and where no man dwelt." Moses also calls it, That terrible 
wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought ; 
where there was no water. But he gave them their vineyards from 
thence. Though the place yielded them nothing, they were well sup- 
plied from above. Though they had no rivers or springs, " He smote the 
rock, and the waters gushed out," and followed them in all their jour- 
neyings. Though they had no food, the clouds poured down manna, 
and they did eat angels' food. Though they had no road, they had a 
guide to lead them the right way, in a pillar of cloud and of fire, which 
shaded them by day and comforted them at night. The tabernacle of 
God was in the midst of them. From the mercy-seat he communed 
with them. He sent them Moses and Aaron and Miriam. He gave his 
good Spirit to instruct them. They had grapes from Eshcol. They 
had a view of the glory of all lands, and at length the possession of it ; 
where they sung, " To him that led his people through the wilderness ; 
for his mercy endureth for ever." 

Earth is a wilderness. And he gives them their vineyards from 
thence. It was not designed to be a wilderness. But by one man sin 






206 MORNING EXERCISES. 

entered into the world ; and it was said to the transgressor, " Cursed is 
the ground for thy sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of 
thy life ; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to theej;" and 
there are enough of these. Such it is as the fall left it. Such it now 
would be, but for divine grace. How discontented and miserable are 
the men of the world, who have nothing else ; especially in their afflic- 
tions, and man is born to trouble. But to the Christian the curse is 
turned into a blessing. He has not only before him a land of promise, 
but even now, even here he has a thousand alleviations and succors, and 
even delights. And if earth be a wilderness, when they attend divine 
ordinances, and hear the joyful sound, and embrace the promises, and 
rejoice in hope of the glory of God, and walk in the comforts of the 
Holy Ghost, they have their vineyards from thence. 

Solitude is a wilderness. And he gives them their vineyards from 
thence. There is not only much to be done alone, but gained alone and 
enjoyed alone. There we gain much of our best knowledge, and our 
richest experience. There we enjoy the freedom of prayer, and the 
most unreserved intercourse with God. There his secret is with them 
that fear him, and he shows them his covenant. They are never less 
alone than when alone. " Go forth into the plain, and I will there talk 
with thee." David said, "My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow 
and fatness, and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips, when. 
I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night 
watches." Nathanael, under the fig-tree, found something more refresh- 
ing than the shade of its leaf, more delicious than the taste of its fruit. 

Outward trouble is a wilderness. Many have been afraid to be 
brought into it, yet " He has given them their vineyards from thence, 
and the valley of Achor for a door of hope." They have been saved 
by their undoing, and enriched by their losses. Manasseh, in his afflic- 
tion, sought and found the God of his father. And David, though he 
was converted before, could say, It is good for me that I have been 
afflicted. What proofs have all his people had that he was with them 
in trouble! What discoveries, what supports, what tendernesses of 
comfort have they had there ! As the sufferings of Christ have abounded 
in them, the consolation hath also abounded by Christ. 

The state of mind produced by conviction of sin is a wilderness. 
A wounded spirit who can bear ? Who does not remember the surprise, 
the confusion of mind, the terror, the anguish, the self-despair he once 
felt ; and who can forget the feelings induced by a discovery of the 
cross, and the joy of God's salvation ? Many are afraid when they see 
their relations and friends trembling at God's word, and broken in 
heart at his feet ; but Christians hail it as a token for good. They 
know that he gave them their vineyards from thence. 

The same may be said of that soul-abasement and distress the 
believer himself may feel from increasing views of his unworthiness, 
depravity, and guilt. And this may be the case after he has been for 
years in the way everlasting, and hoping better things of himself. The 



MAY 2. 207 

experience is truly lamentable; but will the humiliation hurt him? 
" He giveth grace unto the humble." The rain falls upon the mountain- 
tops as well as in the valley, but the valleys are fertilized ; "they are 
also covered over with corn, they shout for joy, they also sing." 

The valley of the shadow of death is the last wilderness. There is 
much to render it uninviting and awful ; and yet, when it has been 
actually entered, the apprehension and the gloom have fled. This has 
been the case generally, even with those who were most subject to bond- 
age by the fear of it. The place has been made glad for them. They 
have had not only a peaceful, but a delightful entrance into the joy of 
their Lord. And what vineyards does he give them from thence ! 



MAY 2. 
"A psalm and song at the dedication of the house of David." Psa. 30. 

This he built for himself, as soon as he was established king over 
Judah and Israel. It was doubtless very different from the cottage he 
occupied when a shepherd. But there was no impropriety in this 
change. A man may alter his mode of living, with his rising condition 
in the world. The gradations of life are not discountenanced in the 
Scriptures, and we have never seen any advantage arising from the 
neglect of them. Good men ought to avoid extravagance ; but by being 
mean or parsimonious, they may cause their good to be evil spoken of. 

David as a king was obliged to do many things from a regard to 
his station, rather than from personal choice. Yet godliness is to show 
itself in all circumstances. Therefore when he took possession of his 
dwelling-house, he consecrated it to God. At entering a new house 
an entertainment is often given, and dissipation and excess follow. 
Many are invited, but God is not of the number ; yea, they say unto 
God, Depart from us ; we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. But 
every thing is to be sanctified by the word of God and prayer. Our 
religion is to be exemplified in little and common things. We are to 
sanctify the weak, as well as to remember the Sabbath ; and to walk 
with a perfect heart in our own dwellings, as well as to worship in the 
temple of God. All we have is the Lord's, and nothing is a blessing 
till he blesses it. 

And we know not what may befall us in our new abode. Here our 
children may be about us, or here we may weep because they are not. 
Here we may find a house of mourning, for the desire of our eyes or the 
guide of our youth. Here we may enjoy health, or be made to possess 
months of vanity, and have wearisome nights appointed unto us. Here 
we may live many years, or our sun may go down at noon. Let it then 
be our concern that the place may be the house of God while we live, 
and the gate of heaven when we die. 

David was a poet, and was accustomed to indulge his pious genius 
on any particular occurrence. Here are the lines he composed on the 
present occasion. " I will extol thee, Lord ; for thou hast lifted me 






208 MORNING EXERCISES. 

up. and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. Lord my God, 
I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. Lord, thou hast brought 
up my soul from the grave ; thou hast kept me alive, that I should not 
go down to the pit. Sing unto the Lord, ye saints of his, and give 
thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth 
but a moment ; in his favor is life : weeping may endure for a night, 
but joy cometh in the morning.'' 

All we notice here is, that previously to his occupying this fine 
mansion, he had been suffering under a dangerous disease. Kings are 
as mortal as their subjects, and exposed to the same evils of life. And 
what would a house of cedar be to one who carried into it a body full 
of pain? But God had recovered him speedily, and while renewed 
health enabled him to enjoy the blessings of Providence, divine grace 
taught him to value life as a privilege for religious purposes ; prolong- 
ing his opportunities to glorify God, and serve his generation according 
to his will. 

Nothing is more interesting than little casual insights into the his- 
tory, and above all, the experience of good and great men. And in this 
ode we see the workings of David's mind before, and under, and after 
the affliction. 

Before the affliction : ' : And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be 
moved. Lord, by thy favor thou hast made my mountain to stand 
strong." He had not said this in words, but his views and feelings and 
actions were all vocal with God. And do we not here see the danger 
of indulgence ? How little can we bear without self-security, without 
presumption, without losing the heart of a stranger. Hence the neces- 
sity of changes, and the advantage of those trials that cry to our hearts, 
"Arise, and depart hence ; for this is not your rest." 

Under the affliction : " Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. 
I cried to thee, Lord ; and unto the Lord I made supplication. "What 
profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust 
praise thee? Shall it declare thy truth? Hear, Lord, and have 
mercy upon me ; Lord, be thou my helper." Cain, in his distress, goes 
to building. Saul sends for music. Few turn to Him that smiteth them. 
But prayer is the design, the sanctification, the resource of affliction. 
Is any afflicted? let him pray. 

After the affliction : " Thou hast turned for me my mourning into 
dancing : thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness ; 
to the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. 
Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever." He has done it. 

"His hand has loosed my bonds of pain, 
And bound me -with his love." 

Therefore I will serve him with my best powers, and for ever. 

And his practice corresponded with his profession. No sooner had 
he taken possession of his new palace, than " the king said unto Nathan 
the prophet. See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God 



MAY 3. 209 

dwelleth within curtains." And then it was that he availed himself 
of a pious and ardent frame of mind, to swear unto the Lord, and vow 
unto the mighty God of Jacob. " Surely I will not come into the tab- 
ernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed ; I will not give sleep 
to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eyelids, until I find out a place for 
the Lord, a habitation for the mighty God of Jacob." How different 
the disposition of the selfish Jews on their return from Babylon ! "Is 
it time for you, ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie 
waste ?" And what gained they ? Them that honor me, says God, I 
will honor. " Ye look for much, and lo, it came to little ; and when ye 
brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why ? saith the Lord of hosts. 
Because of my house that is waste, aud ye run every man unto his 
own house." 



MAY 3. 

" To reveal his Son in me." Gal. 1 : 16. 

To reveal is to lay open something which, though in existence before, 
was yet unknown. The knowledge of the Son of God is necessary for 
all the use we can make of him. And we may observe a fourfold reve- 
lation of him. The text only speaks of one of these ; but they are all 
true, and they are all profitable. 

There is a revelation of the Saviour to us. This is found in the 
Scripture, which therefore we often call emphatically "revelation." It 
discovers many things, but he is the principal subject ; and we are per- 
suaded nothing has found a place in it but has some relation to him. 
This revelation early began. It dawned in paradise, and the light con- 
tinued to shine more and more unto the perfect day. All the Jewish 
ordinances and sacrifices prefigured him. Of him Moses in the law and 
the prophets did write, and the testimony of Jesus was the spirit of 
prophecy. He came personally as a preacher, and he was his own sub- 
ject. He unbosomed himself to his disciples as far as they were able 
to bear it, and promised them a fuller manifestation. This was done 
when the Holy Spirit taught them all things, and brought all things to 
their remembrance that he had said unto them, and inspired them to com- 
municate the information to others, that all might read and understand 
their knowledge in the mystery of Christ. 

There is a revelation of the Saviour in us. This is more than the 
former. Many who have access to the Scriptures will perish, and all 
their knowledge will only prove the savor of death unto death. There 
is however, as to information, nothing in the internal revelation that is 
not in the external. It is not therefore a new revelation in itself, for 
the truths themselves are as old as the creation, but it is new as to our 
perception and experience. If a man born blind were to receive his 
sight, he would not see a new sun, but it would be new to him. Even 
in a land of vision we may be called out of darkness into his marvel- 
lous light, because the eyes of our understanding may be opened. "We 

Morn Eier. 14 



210 MORNING EXERCISES. 

heard of these things before ; but now, in God's light, we see light. 
This illumination shows us not only their reality, but their excellency ; 
and with their glory, fixes and replenishes and sways the soul. Be not 
satisfied with any thing short of this. Distinguish between a Christian 
in name, and a Christian in deed. Do not place your religion in any 
thing without you. Have you the witness in yourselves? Is Christ 
revealed in you ? Have you such a sight of him by faith, as to see that 
he is fairer than the children of men ; as to feel him infinitely endeared ; 
as to count all things but loss for the excellency of his knowledge? 
This is what he himself means when he said, " He that seeth the Son, 
and believeth on him, hath everlasting life." 

There is a revelation of him by us. It is our destiny, our duty, our 
privilege to make him known. This is done by our being the subjects 
of his agency, as the work displays the attributes of the author, and the 
streams proclaim the quality of the fountain. We should discover him 
by our resemblance as his followers, and by our testimony as his wit- 
nesses. We can speak upon other subjects, why not upon this? Who 
has not opportunities to extol him among children, servants, friends, 
neighbors? What do seeking souls want, but to see Jesus; or doubt- 
ing ones, but to be assured of his love? Have we been freely healed 
by him? Let us tell the diseased and dying of the Physician. Let us 
zealously aid every institution that aims to show forth his praise. Pray 
that his glory may be revealed, and that all flesh may see the salvation 
of our God. 

There is also a revelation of him with us. The world knoweth us 
not : it knew him not. We are now hid, and he is hid ; and both are 
to be displayed at the same time. The day of the manifestation of the 
sons of God is also the revelation of Jesus Christ. And when he who 
is our life shall appear, we also shall appear with him in glory. Them 
that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. They suffered with him r 
and they shall be glorified together. 

We wish to be distinguished. We want something exclusive ; half 
the relish and value is gone, if others share with us. But Ms benevo- 
lence, his condescension are such that he cannot be satisfied unless we 
partake with him : " I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath 
appointed unto me ; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my king- 
dom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." " To him 
that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also 
overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." But where 
will the ungodly and sinner appear ? 



MAY 4. 

"For even Christ pleased not himself." Rom. 15 : 3. 

Not as if his undertaking our cause was against his will, or that he 
ever felt it to be a task and a grievance. He was voluntary in the 
engagement, and cheerful in the execution, and could say, I have a 



MAY 4. 211 

baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened till it be accom- 
plished ! But he never followed the indulgence of his natural inclina- 
tion. He preferred the glory of God and our benefit to his own grati- 
fication. He did not consult his ease, but denied the demands of sleep 
when duty required exertion. He rejected with anger Peter's proposal 
to spare himself from suffering. He did not consult ambitious feelings, 
but refused the people when they would have made him king. He 
stood not upon rank and consequence, but washed the disciples' feet, 
and was among them as one that serveth. He was far more delighted 
with Mary's reception of his word than with Martha's preparation for 
his appetite. He was not only thirsty, but hungry when the disciples 
left him at the well to go and buy meat ; but when they returned, and 
said, Master, eat, he replied, "I have meat to eat which you know not 
of. In your absence I have had something above corporeal satisfac- 
tion : I have been saving a soul from death, and hiding a multitude of 
sins. My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish his 
work." 

When the collectors of the temple-tax came to Peter, he said to 
him, " What thinkest thou, Simon ? of whom do the kings of the earth 
take custom or tribute ? of their own children, or of strangers ? Peter 
saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the chil- 
dren free. The temple is the house of my heavenly Father, and I am 
his only-begotten Son." But though not bound like others, he foregoes 
his right in order to avoid offence : " Notwithstanding, lest we should 
offend ;" that is, excite pain, or dislike, or reflection, by their thinking 
we have not a proper regard to the sanctuary and ordinances of God — 
" lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast in a hook, and 
take up the fish that first cometh up ; and when thou hast opened his 
mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money ; that take, and give unto them 
for me and thee." This he exemplified all through life. He was there- 
fore well prepared and authorized to say, " If any man will be my dis- 
ciple, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." 

And observe the use the apostle makes of it. Because Christ 
pleased not himself, therefore, "let the strong bear the infirmities of 
the weak, and not please themselves." " Let every one of us please his 
neighbor for his good to edification." He indeed limits the duty. We 
are not to humor our brother in a sinful course, but only in things inno- 
cent and lawful ; and we are to do this with a view to secure and pro- 
mote his welfare, and not for any advantage of our own. But we are 
not to consult our own little conveniences and appetites and wishes. 
We are not even to follow our convictions in every disputed matter. 
" Let us not, therefore, judge one another any more ; but judge this 
rather, that no man put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his 
brother's way. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that 
there is nothing unclean of itself ; but to him that esteemeth any thing 
to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother be grieved with 
thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy 



212 MORNING EXERCISES. 

meat, for whom Christ died." Here again the apostle calls in Jesus as 
a motive and an example. He denied himself so as to die for this weak 
brother, and will you, says he, refuse to deny yourself in a trifling for- 
bearance on his behalf? " It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink 
wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or 
is made weak." 

Herein, too, Paul enjoins no more than he practised, for he drank 
deep into the Saviour's spirit : " I please all men in all things, not seek- 
ing mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved." 
" If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world 
standeth, lest I make my brother to offend." And how noble does he 
here look ! And how below his principles does a Christian act, when 
he thinks of himself only, his own accommodation, yea, even his own 
conscience. He is to regard the satisfaction of another's mind as well 
as his own, and is to walk not only righteously, but charitably. Yet 
some say, " I do not think it sinful ; therefore I am not obliged to ab- 
stain." And was Paul obliged to abstain ? All things were pure to 
him, but he would not eat with offence. Some seem never to regard 
how their conduct will affect others ; but the Scripture says, " Give 
none offence ; neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church 
of God." Asaph was checked in his improper language by remember- 
ing that, if he so spoke, he should " offend against the generation of the 
upright." Let us therefore beware of throwing stumbling-blocks in the 
way of the blind. " Let us make straight paths for our feet, lest that 
which is lame be turned out of the way : but let it rather be healed." 

Christianity is designed to refine and soften ; to take away the 
heart of stone, and to give us hearts of flesh ; to polish off the rudeness 
and arrogances of our manners and tempers, and to make us blameless 
and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke. Lord Chatham, in one 
of his letters to his nephew, finely says, " Politeness is benevolence in 
little things." Religion should make us the most polite creatures in 
the world ; and what persons of rank do from education, we should do 
from principle, yielding our own desires and claims to become all things 
to all men, if by any means we may gain some ; and be not only sincere, 
but without offence until the day of Christ. 

If so, some professors of religion have much to learn. They think 
of nothing but their own indulgence. They know nothing of bearing 
with infirmity, of waiting for improvement, of watching for opportunity. 
They are decisive and dictatorial, and hasty and severe. They pride 
themselves only on what they call faithfulness, and which is the easiest 
thing in religion to them, because it falls in with their own natural 
temper — not to say, that frequently what they mean by fidelity is only 
rudeness and insolence. But while we can do nothing against the 
truth, but for the truth, we are required to be courteous, and to pursue 
whatsoever things are lovely and of good report. 

And without this, professors will not only render religion un amiable 
and repulsive, but will lower themselves in general estimation, and lose 






MAY 5. 213 

the influence which is derivable from reputation and esteem. Who can 
regard the haughty and the selfish ? But for a good man some would 
even dare to die. An inoffensive, self-denying, lovely disposition and 
carriage wins the heart. It is not in our power to love, but it ip in our 
power to be loved. Our loving another depends upon him, and here 
we have no control ; but another's loving us depends upon ourselves, 
and he that will have friends, must show himself friendly. 

Doddridge buried a most interesting child at nine years of age. 
The dear little creature was a general favorite ; and he tells us, in his 
funeral-sermon, that when he one day asked her how it was that every 
body loved her, " I know not." said she, " unless it be that I love every 
body." Tell your children this. Also read to them, "The child Sam- 
uel grew on, and was in favor both with the Lord and also with men." 

" For he that in these things serveth Christ, is acceptable to God, 
and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after things which make 
for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another." 



MAY 5. 

" If thou knewest the gift of God." John 4 : 10. 

As if he had said to the woman, Thou mistakest me for a mere Jew, 
wandering and weary, and sitting thus on the well, and asking for the 
refreshment of water, seemingly dependent on the kindness of a stran- 
ger. But if thou wert acquainted with me — that I am the Mercy prom- 
ised from the beginning ; the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace 
and truth ; that I am come into the world to save sinners, and that in 
me all fulness dwells — what an opportunity wouldest thou find is now 
afforded thee, "if thou knewest the Gift of God." 

He calls himself the gift of God because he came not according to 
the course of nature. A body was prepared him. A virgin conceives, 
and bears a son, and the holy thing born of her is called, The Son of 
God. We go also farther. A preternatural interposition might have 
taken place in a way of wrath ; and this is what seemed most probable 
in the case, and would have been the foreboding of our guilty minds. 
"But God sent not his only-begotten Son into the world to condemn 
the world, but that the world through him might be saved." He there- 
fore came, not according to any rule of desert. A few years ago we 
heard much of the rights of man, and though the expression was abused 
and brought into contempt, there is a propriety in it. Man has rights, 
with regard to his fellow-creatures ; children have rights, with regard 
to parents ; and subjects, with regard to sovereigns. A man has a 
right to enjoy the fruit of his labor; he has a right to worship the 
Supreme Being according to his conscience. But what were his rights 
with regard to God ? What right to protection has a subject that has 
become rebellious? What right to wages has a servant that has run 
away from his master? As sinners, we had forfeited all expectation 
from God, except a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indigna- 






214 MORNING EXERCISES. 

tion. We could have no right to the bread we eat, or the air we 
breathe. What claim, then, had we upon God for the Son of his love? 
He was a gift infinitely free, and not only free as opposed to desert, but 
also as apposed to desire. Was he withholden till we felt our need of 
him. and became suppliants at our offended Maker's feet ? Ages before 
we were born, the plan was formed and accomplished and announced. 
And when we are desirous of obtaining the blessings of it, we find them 
provided, and hear a voice, saying, Come, for all things are now ready. 
All other good, too, is insured by him. " He that spared not his own 
Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also 
freely give us all things ?" Yea, he has given us all things in him ; 
and whatever a perishing sinner needs, even to life eternal, is to be 
derived from him. 

And if you knew the gift of God, surely you would say, with the 
apostle, " Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.*' You should 
overlook nothing in his bounty, but gratitude should bear some propor- 
tion to the favor it acknowledges. What is the sun in nature, to this 
Sun of righteousness? What is our daily bread, to this Bread of 
life ? Here are the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness tow- 
ards us by Christ Jesus. 

If you knew the gift of God, surely you would avail yourselves of 
it. You would consider a participation of him as the one thing need- 
ful. You would receive him as he is presented in the gospel, and as 
Zaccheus received him, who made haste, and came down, and received 
him joyfully. 

If you knew the gift of God, you would not yield to despondency. 
You would not say, by way of objection, I have no money, no worthi- 
ness. This is supposed. Who thinks of buying a gift, of deserving a 
gift, especially such a gift ? 

If you knew the gift of God, you would make him known. You 
would commend him to your children, your relations, your friends, your 
neighbors. You would pray, " Let the whole earth be filled with his 
glory." 

"His worth, if all the nations knew, 
Sure the whole earth would love him too." 



MAY 6. 



"Therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee." 
2 Sam. 7:27. 

Wheee did he find his inclination and power to pray? "In his 
heart." The heart is every thing in religion. " Man looketh on the 
outward appearance ; but the Lord looketh on the heart," and requires 
it : My son, give me thy heart. Where he does not find this, he finds 
nothing. Where this speaks, words are needless ; he knows what is 
the mind of the spirit. Hannah — she spoke in her heart; only her lips 
moved, but her voice was not heard : yet what a prayer she prayed ; 



MAY 7. 215 

and how successfully ! It is a blessed thing, therefore, to find it in our 
heart to pray ; so that, while it is with many a bodily exercise only, a 
task which they would gladly decline, an effort forced upon them from 
something without, from some danger or trouble, we may do it natu- 
rally, and therefore constantly and pleasantly, from a principle in us, 
like a well of water, springing up into everlasting life. 

And what was the prayer he found there ? It was this, " Let the 
house of thy servant David be established before thee." David had a 
peculiar concern for his family ; and, from his character, we may be 
assured he wished it to be not only or principally glorious, but good. 
It is a man's duty to seek to promote the temporal welfare of his house, 
for he that provideth not for his own, especially those of his own house, 
hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. But the wish of 
many is not to build up their house in Israel, but in the world. They 
are only anxious for an increase of earthly wealth and honor. And 
how injurious have such risings in life proved to the comfort and the 
religion of the family. And how inconsiderate and inconsistent are 
parents, especially if they are pious ones, in longing for such perils, when 
they know the depravity of human nature, and the snares of prosperity. 
How much better is it to see and to leave their household great in the 
sight of the Lord, and under the blessing of that providence which will 
make all things work together for their good. 

And what produced this prayer? " Therefore " — "For thou, O Lord 
of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build 
thee a house " — " therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray 
this prayer unto thee." He had refused him the pleasure and honor of 
building the temple which he had purposed. But he should be no loser. 
The will should be taken for the deed. Though he did not build God 
a house, God would build him a house ; and except the Lord build the 
house, they labor in vain that build it. But all things are possible 
with him, and them that honor him, he will honor. What the king 
said to his prime-minister — "You mind my affairs, and I will mind 
yours " — he says to each of his servants : Serve me yourselves ; and be 
persuaded that my blessing is upon my people, and that the generation 
of the upright shall be blessed. 

But see, the certainty of a thing does not supersede the use of the 
means in attaining it. Why should David pray for it, when God had 
pledged himself to do it ? So some would argue, but it would be the 
arguing of folly. The Scripture, the wisdom of God, knows nothing of 
this perversion. No doctrine there leads to enthusiasm. There the 
means and the end are connected. There activity grows out of depend- 
ence, and zeal out of confidence. There God says, after he has prom- 
ised the thing, " I will yet be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it 
for them." Yea, we see prayer is not only consistent with the promise, 
but derived from it. It is this that furnishes the matter of our peti- 
tions ; it is this that gives us all our encouragements. 

Therefore let us be thankful for the promises. Let us search them 



216 MORNING EXERCISES. 

out. Let us place them opposite all our wants. Let us plead them, 
and say, Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast 
caused him to hope. And as then we can ask in faith, so we may pray 
with confidence ; for whatsoever we ask according to his will, we know 
he heareth us. 



MAY 7. 

"The Sun of righteousness shall arise." Mal. 4 : 2. 

He is called the Sun of righteousness, to intimate that he is the 
same in the righteous world as the orb of day is in the natural. The 
importance of the latter is acknowledged by all, but the value of the 
former is infinitely greater. What are the interests of time and sense 
to those of the soul and eternity ! 

We know there is only one sun in our system, and there is but one 
Mediator between God and man. Neither is there salvation in any 
other. I am the way, the truth, and the life : no man cometh unto the 
Father but by me. The vastness of the sun is surprising, but Jesus is 
the Lord of all. His greatness is unsearchable. The beauty and glory 
of the sun are such, that in the absence of revelation, and when crea- 
tures were idols, we can scarcely wonder that this illustrious display of 
Deity should have been adored. But He is fairer than the children of 
men ; yea, he is altogether lovely, and all the angels of God are com- 
manded to worship him. But consider the inestimable usefulness of 
this luminary. How he enlightens, warms, fructifies, adorns, blesses! 
What changes does he produce ! How he fills the air with songs, and 
the gardens with fruit and fragrance ! How he clothes the woods with 
foliage, and the meadows with grass ! How he fills the valleys with 
corn, and makes the little hills rejoice on every side, and crowns the 
year with his goodness ! And this he has always done. The sun that 
ripened Isaac's corn, ripens ours j and though he has shone for so many 
ages, he is undiminished, and is as all-sufficient as ever. What an image 
of Him, who is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever ; who has 
always been the source of light, life, relief, and comfort ; the hope, the 
consolation of Israel ; the desire of all nations ! Truly light is sweet ; 
and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun. But he that 
seeth the Sun of righteousness, and believeth on him, hath everlasting 
life. 

The rising of the sun is the finest spectacle in the creation. I fear 
some never saw it, at least at the most interesting season of the year. 
What to them are a thousand rising suns to the sublimity and indul- 
gence of lying late in bed ! 

But when and how does the Sun of righteousness arise ? His com- 
ing was announced immediately after the Fall, when God said, The seed 
of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head. This was the very first 
beam of the early dawn of that light which was to shine more and more 
unto the perfect day. His approach obscurely appeared in the types 



MAY 8. 217 

and services of the ceremonial law. In the clearer discoveries of the 
prophets, the morning was beginning to spread upon the mountains. 
But to the Jews he was below the horizon ; they longed to see his day, 
and kings and righteous men pressed forward to the brightness of his 
rising. At length he actually arose, and when the fulness of time was 
come, God sent forth his Son. A messenger from heaven proclaimed 
him to the shepherds, and said, I bring you glad tidings of great joy. 
The Saviour is born ! the splendor of that morning ! It brought 
glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards 
men— God was manifest in the flesh. 

He rises in the dispensation of the gospel. Whenever this enters a 
nation or a village, he is evidently set forth, and the savor of his know- 
ledge diffused. It is then said to the place and to the people, Arise, 
shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon 
thee. 

He rises in spiritual illumination. Then he is revealed in us. He 
is presented to the eye of the soul. He is seen in a new manner. He 
fixes and fills the mind ; he governs the life. 

He rises in renewed manifestations. For sometimes he hides his 
face, and we are troubled. Then we anxiously ask, when wilt thou 
come unto me ? Then we wait for him more than they that watch for 
the morning, and when we behold him again, find a brighter day. 

He rises in ordinances. What fresh and enlivening views of him 
have we often in meditation j in prayer ; in his own supper ; in reading 
and hearing his word ! Hence, says Cowper, 

" Sometimes a light surprises 
The Christian while he sings ; 
It is the Lord, that rises 
With healing in his wings." 

But how will he arise in the irradiations of heaven in the morning 
of immortality, making a day to be sullied by no cloud, to be followed 
by no evening shade ! Then their sun shall no more go down, but, as 
the same poet sings, 

" God shall rise, and, shining o'er you, 
Turn to day the gloomy night ; 
He, your God, shall be your glory, 
And your everlasting light." 



MAY 8. 

" I will look for him." Isa. 8:17. 

This is peculiar language. It is the language of none in heaven. 
There all have found him, and are for ever with the Lord. It is the 
language of none in hell. There they are only concerned to escape from 
his hand, and to elude his eye. It is not the language of any in the world. 
There they are sufficiently active and eager ; but they rise early, and 



218 MORNING EXERCISES. 

sit up late, and eat the bread of sorrow, to gain some temporal advan- 
tage, honor, or pleasure, but none saith, " Where is God my Maker, who 
giveth songs in the night ?" It is not the language of all in the church. 
There are some happy souls who know the joyful sound, and walk in 
the light of God's countenance ; in his name they rejoice all the day, 
and in his righteousness they are exalted. But there are others whose 
desire is to his name, and to the remembrance of him ; whose wish is, 
" that I were as in months past, when the candle of the Lord shined 
upon my head, and the Almighty was yet with me." These, these are 
the persons who are saying, and they cannot do better than to say, " I 
will look for him." 

It is here supposed that God may hide himself from his people. 
Indeed, it is expressly asserted in the former part of the verse, "I will 
wait upon the Lord, who hideth himself from the house of Jacob." 
Sometimes he does this as to providential dispensations, suffering them 
to fall into trouble, and for a while leaving them, as if he had no regard 
for them, and had forgotten to be gracious. But we now refer to spir- 
itual manifestations. Sometimes they are so in the dark that they are 
unable to perceive their condition, or to enjoy the comforts of the Holy 
Ghost. God loves them always, and they cannot serve him in vain ; 
but they cannot always see this as they once did. The sun is as really 
in his course in a dark day as in a bright one, but his face is hid by 
fogs and clouds ; and David says to his God, " Thou didst hide thy face, 
and I was troubled." For when we are in the dark with regard to 
him, other things come forth and dismay us : and it is true, morally as 
well as physically, " Thou makest darkness, and it is night, wherein all 
the beasts of the forest do creep forth." 

But the subjects of divine grace cannot rest satisfied without God. 
We see this in Job : " that I knew where I might find him ! Behold, 
I go forward, but he is not there ; and backward, but I cannot perceive 
him ; on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him : 
he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him." This anx- 
iety and restlessness to find him results from three things. Love, that 
longs to be near the object of attachment, and cannot endure separa- 
tion. Conviction, which tells him of God's infinite importance to his 
case, and of his own entire dependence upon him. I am sick, says he, 
and he is my only physician ; I am a traveller, and he is my only guide; 
I have nothing ; he possesses all things. Experience : he has tasted 
that the Lord is gracious, and the relish of the enjoyment adds to the 
sense of want ; for that which indulges the appetite provokes it also. 
Hence, though the believer does not desire more than God, he desires 
more of him. 

Well, this restlessness is a token for good. Henry says, "A Chris- 
tian, like a bird, is always on the perch or on the wing ; he is always 
reposing in God, or in flight after him ; and the latter is as good an 
evidence of religion as the former ; for delight is not only a part of 
complacency and affection, but also fear, complaint, desire: fear of 



MAY 9. 219 

losing the object, complaint of our enjoying so little of it, desire of at- 
taining and feeling more.' 7 

Therefore be of good comfort, and if you ask, where you are to look 
for him ; look for him in Christ, where he is reconciling the world to 
himself, in whom he is well pleased. Look for him in the promises : 
there you will find him, pledged in every readiness of power and com- 
passion. Look for him in his ordinances : where two or three are gath- 
ered together, there is He in the midst of them. And not only look for 
him in the temple, but in the closet ; pray to thy Father who is in 
secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 
Look for him in thy former experiences. Call to remembrance thy 
song in the night. Can all your former views and feelings be a delu- 
sion ? Would he have shown you such things as these, and also have 
accepted an offering at your hands, if he had been minded to kill you? 

And when you have found him whom you are looking for, fall at his 
feet, and ingenuously confess your unworthiness in causing him to with- 
draw from you. Do not complain of him; justify him, but condemn 
yourselves. And instead of thinking he has dealt hardly with you, won- 
der that he has not cast you off for ever, and be thankful that he has 
been found of you again. Again you have morning, again you have 
spring, but the rising and shining of the sun has made it. " Thou hast 
turned for me my mourning into dancing : thou hast put off my sack- 
cloth, and girded me with gladness ; to the end that my glory may sing 
praise to thee, and not be silent. Lord my God, I will give thanks 
unto thee for ever." Cleave to him with purpose of heart. Resolve 
rather to die than again grieve his Holy Spirit. And not only watch, 
but " pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, 
but the flesh is weak." 



MAY 9. 



"So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, 
because he believed in his God." Dan. 6 : 23. 

His case at first seemed very hard to flesh and blood. But here we 
see the end of the Lord. All was so overruled that Daniel had no rea- 
son to repent of his conduct, or to lament the result of it. It is true the 
God he served continually did not preserve him from the den of lions, 
but he delivered him out of it. He could have made a way for his 
escape, but the prevention of the trial would not have been half so 
impressive and useful as the issue. What a night did he pass there ! 
What hours were they of prayer and praise, of peace and joy ! What 
reflections did he make upon the power and goodness of his God, while 
the hungry lions — and they had been prepared to devour — looked on, 
and snuffed his flesh, but felt an invisible restrainer, who said, Touch 
not mine anointed, and do my prophet no harm ! How would he re- 
solve to confide in him and confess him and serve him in future ! How 
would the multitude be impressed ! Those who doubted would be con- 



220 MORNING EXERCISES. 

vinced. The timid would be emboldened. Many proselytes would be 
made to the religion of Daniel, while the king said, " I make a decree, 
That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before 
the God of Daniel : for he is the living God, and steadfast for ever, 
and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion 
shall be even unto the end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he work- 
eth signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered 
Daniel from the power of the lions." 

How much, therefore, did his steadfastness conduce to the glory of 
God, and the advancement of his cause. Christians never honor God 
more than in the fires. When they suffer like themselves ; when they 
are witnesses for God ; when they show that his service is too dear to 
be forsaken, and that they are willing to follow him to prison or to 
death ; and that the religion they more than profess enables them to 
glory in tribulation also, then men see that there is a reality in it, a 
vital, a blessed reality, and that the righteous is more excellent than 
his neighbor. 

But the result equally terminated in Daniel's own honor and wel- 
fare. When taken up, how would every eye be drawn towards him ! 
How breathless would be their gaze ! How would every tongue extol 
him ! With what shoutings would they follow him home ! When they 
met him, how ready would every man be to say, There is the man who 
would rather enter a den of hungry lions than violate his conscience, or 
sin against his God ! What influence would be attached to his charac- 
ter ; what weight to his advice and counsel ! " A good name is rather 
to be chosen than great riches." His reputation is perfected ; his at- 
tainder is revoked ; he is restored ; he is promoted by his sovereign to 
a higher station. 

And who would not have done what Darius did? He who had 
been faithful to his God was more likely to be faithful to his king. 
This is indeed one of the ways in which godliness naturally conduces to 
a man's present advantage. It gains him confidence, and this is the 
lever of elevation. Constantius, the father of Constantine the Great, 
while as yet this prince was a heathen, wished to know the character of 
those about him. He therefore called together before him all the chiefs 
in his suite, and ordered them to offer sacrifices to his gods, on pain of 
being deprived of all their honors and functions. The trial was severe. 
Many sunk under it. They could not give up every thing that was 
dear and valuable. But some were inflexible. They had bought the 
truth, and they would not sell it for any price. Whatever they suffered, 
they were resolved' to have a conscience void of offence. What hap- 
pened ? Those who basely complied he drove from his presence, while 
those who nobly refused he intrusted with the care of his person, and 
placed them in the most important offices, saying, On these men I can 
depend ; I prize them more than all my treasures. And we know who 
hath said, " Them that honor me I will honor ; but they that despise 
me shall be lightly esteemed." 



MAY 10. 221 



MAY 10, 



"And the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. And Moses 
took the bones of Joseph with him : for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, say- 
ing, God will surely visit you ; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you." 
Exod. 13 : 18, 19. 

Here are two circumstances not to be overlooked, because God has 
deemed them worthy of record. 

The first is not easily understood from the present version. It is 
said, they went up out of Egypt harnessed. The word harness, when 
the Bible was translated, signified not the furniture of a horse, but of a 
soldier, or armor ; and this is the first sense the term bears in the dic- 
tionary ; and to check the presumption of a warrior, it was once said, 
" Let not him that putteth on the harness boast himself like him that 
putteth it off." The translators therefore meant to say, that they went 
out armed. Yet this is not at all probable. Such a jealous tyrant as 
Pharaoh would, by his spies, have prevented the Israelites from manu- 
facturing or purchasing or hoarding up weapons. We find in after- 
times, when the Philistines held the Jews in subjection, they would not 
allow a smith to live in the country, and only permitted them to sharpen 
their agricultural implements at particular places. " But they had arms 
in the wilderness, when they fought Amalek and others." Yes ; they 
had carried away a few weapons concealed, and made others out of the 
materials they had with them ; and, above all, they furnished them- 
selves from the spoils of Pharaoh's army thrown on shore. But they 
were now only going out from Egypt. The margin is, they marched 
"five in a rank. 77 But this would have extended the train to an im- 
mense length. Others, therefore, have rendered it, " in five squadrons. 77 
But all the meaning seems to be, that they moved out, not armed, but 
in soldier-like order ; as regularly organized and slowly as disciplined 
troops, and not like a rude rabble, or a huddled, jostling multitude. It 
shows that they did not go out by "haste or by flight. 77 And this is 
very remarkable, considering their numbers, and the quality of the peo- 
ple, and how natural it was for those behind to dread lest their task- 
masters should overtake them, and therefore to press forward and in- 
commode those that were before. But there was nothing of this ; they 
moved with such steadiness and stillness, that " against none of them 
did a dog move his tongue. 77 We are also informed that " there was 
not found one feeble among them. 77 Indeed, they had enough to do to 
take care of themselves and their goods, without being encumbered 
with invalids. Yet did ever such an immense multitude leave a place 
before, without one individual unable to follow ? It was the Lord 7 s 
doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. 

The other circumstance in this march regards " the bones of Joseph, 
which Moses took with him. 77 This rendered it a kind of funeral pro- 
cession, and such as no other history relates. Much people of Nain 
followed the bier of the widow 7 s son, but Joseph 7 s corpse was accompa- 



222 MORNING EXERCISES. 

nied with every man, woman, and child of a whole nation. There is 
generally some time between death and interment, though in warm cli- 
mates this is very short : here was an interval of near two hundred 
years. Other bodies may have been carried as far, but were never so 
long in their conveyance to the grave, for here forty years were taken 
up in bearing Joseph to his burial. 

We read at the death of Joseph, that "they embalmed him, and he 
was put in a coffin in Egypt ;" and when we consider that he was the 
prime- minister and the savior of the country, and the most popular man 
in the realm, we may be assured that this was done in a manner the 
most perfect and sumptuous. The descendants of his own family would 
be likely to have the care of this precious deposit, and they would feel 
a peculiar veneration for it. But it was dear to all, and useful to all. 
It was a memento of the vanity of all human greatness. Joseph had 
risen in life to an unexampled degree of eminence. But what, where 
now is the governor and idol of Egypt? Mummied within those few 
inches of board. It was also a moral as well as a mortal memento. 
Joseph was a very pious character ; he had been highly exemplary in 
every relation and condition of life, and much of God, of providence, 
and of grace was to be read in his history. What an advantage to be 
always reminded of such a man, in having his remains always in the 
midst of them. But the body would be, above all, valuable as a pledge 
of their future destination. It was a present palpable sign of God's 
covenant with their fathers on their behalf. 

For observe how they came in possession of this treasure. 

It was according to the dying wish and prophecy of Joseph : " For 
he had straitly charged the children of Israel, saying, God will surely 
visit you ; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you." His 
charge did not arise from a superstitious principle, as if it were better 
or safer to moulder in one place than another, nor even from a principle 
of natural and relative affection. This feeling, indeed, is often strong, 
and the wish of persons to lie with their kindred seems to grow with 
the decline of life. How affectionately does Jacob express this senti- 
ment when dying. " I am to be gathered unto my people : bury me 
with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in 
the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre in the 
land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the 
Hittite for a possession of a burying-place. There they buried Abraham 
and Sarah his wife ; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife : and 
there I buried Leah." This, however, was more than the language of 
nature in the father, and so it was in the son. The apostle tells us. 
"By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the 
children of Israel ; and gave commandment concerning his bones." If 
he did it by faith, his faith must have had a divine warrant. This was 
the promise of a God that cannot lie, that he would give Canaan for a 
possession to the seed of Abraham. 

" xind he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be 



MAY 10. 223 

a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them ; and they 
shall afflict them four hundred years ; and also that nation, whom they 
shall serve, will I judge : and afterward they shall come out with great 
substance." And this was, at the very time, ratified by a solemn cove- 
nant. Joseph knew of this engagement, and believed it ; and though 
the time was remote, and the difficulties in the accomplishment many, 
like a true son of Abraham, he staggered not at the promise of God 
through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. This 
raised him above the treasures of Egypt ; this kept him from natural- 
izing there amidst all his prosperity : there he was only a stranger and 
a sojourner ; another nation was his people, another land was his home. 
And therefore, instead of being entombed in an Egyptian pyramid, he 
ordered his body to be taken immediately to Goshen, and kept by them 
till they should go as a body to possess their inheritance, and then bury 
him with his fathers. 

And behold the fulfilment! Enslaved as they were, they are deliv- 
ered. Their enemies perish. They live by miracle for forty years in 
the wilderness. The Jordan is crossed. Canaan is taken ; and, says 
the conqueror to the people he had led to victory, " Behold, this day I 
am going the way of all the earth ; and ye know in all your hearts and 
in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things 
which the Lord your God spake concerning you ; all are come to pass 
unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof." " So Joshua made a 
covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordi- 
nance in Shechem." What more ? " And the bones of Joseph, which 
the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, 
in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the 
father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of silver : and it became the 
inheritance of the children of Joseph." Here we leave his hallowed 
remains till the resurrection of the just ; inscribing over his sepulchre, 

A MEMORIAL OP THE FAITHFULNESS OF GoD. 



MAY 11. 

"The lame man which was healed held Peter and John." Acts 3 : 11. 

How perfectly natural and picturesque are the narratives of the 
Bible ! They serve at once to vouch for the truth of their statements, 
and to leave their representations fixed in the memory. 

The circumstance here mentioned is too simple, striking, and touch- 
ing to be overlooked. The poor man had been lame from his mother's 
womb, and was placed daily at the Beautiful gate of the temple, to ask 
alms of the worshippers. Silver and gold Peter and John had none. 
But they gave him something far better. In the name of the Lord 
Jesus, said they, rise up, and walk. And immediately his feet and 
ankle-bones received strength. And he, leaping up, stood, and walked, 
and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and prais- 
ing God. The people also, seeing what was done, hastened to Solo- 



224 MORNING EXERCISES. 

mon's porch, greatly wondering. But the man that was healed held 
Peter and John. 

Was this the effect of apprehension? Did he imagine their influ- 
ence was confined to their bodily presence, and that if he let them go 
his lameness would return ? 

Or did it result from a wish to point them out to the multitude ? 
" Are you looking after the wonderful men who have made me whole ?" 
" Here," says he, eager and proud to proclaim them, " here they are ; 
these are they." 

"Was it not still more the expression of his attachment ? " my 
deliverers and "benefactors, let me attend upon you. Let me enjoy the 
happiness to serve you. Entreat me not to leave you, nor to return 
from following after you. Let me live, let me die with you." 

So it is in our spiritual cures. It is natural to feel a regard for 
those who have been the means of our recovery, and to keep hold of 
them. But let us remember, we may hold them too closely. And we 
do so, if we suffer them to draw us away from the God of all grace. 
For whoever are the instruments of doing us good, He is the agent ; 
and he will have us to remember, that the excellency of the power is of 
him, and not of them. Hence the reproof, " For while one saith, I am 
of Paul ; and another, I am of Apollos ; are ye not carnal ? Who then 
is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even 
as the Lord gave to every man ? I have planted, Apollos watered ; but 
God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, 
neither he that watereth ; but God that giveth the increase." They 
are something in the order of means, and a proper respect is due to 
them in this character ; but they are nothing as to efficiency : success is 
entirely from God, and his glory will he not give to another. To idol- 
ize a minister is the way to have him removed from us, or rendered un- 
profitable to us. " Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith 
the Lord of hosts." We can never honor God so much as by depend- 
ence upon him. And them that honor him he will honor ; and they 
that despise him shall be lightly esteemed. 



MAY 12, 



" And sent messengers before his face : and they went, and entered into a village of 
the Samaritans to make ready for him. And they did not receive him, because his face 
was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw 
this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and 
consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned and rebuked them, and said, Te know 
not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's 
lives, but to save them." Luke 9 : 52-56. 

Why did our Saviour send a message to " make ready for him ?" 
It could not be from a principle of self-indulgence ; he had blamed 
Martha for her too much serving when she entertained him. Neither 
was it for the purpose of show and ostentation. But it was from a 
motive of civility, not wishing to put them to trouble and confusion by 



MAY 12. 225 

his sudden arrival, especially as he travelled not alone, but with his dis- 
ciples, and probably others ; and also as he purposed paying for the 
accommodation he ordered : it was to try their dispositions. Accord- 
ingly they were immediately discovered. 

But why " would they not receive him?" There had always been an 
implacable aversion between them and the Jews. It appeared on all 
occasions, and even hindered, as we find iri the answer of the woman at 
the well, the common offices of civil life. But to this ordinary dislike, 
something peculiar was here added. They knew that our Lord was a 
public teacher, and had heard of his miracles ; but his services had been 
with their enemies. They also had their temple and their festivals, 
which were held at the same time with those of the Jews, and one of 
these was at hand. But they saw he was bound, not to mount Gerizim, 
but to mount Zion. Therefore " they did not receive him, because his 
face was as though he would go to Jerusalem." 

Not far from this very place Elijah had punished Azariah's captains 
and companies, sent to take him. John and James therefore ask, "Lord, 
wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven to consume 
them, even as Elias did ?" The very infirmities of good men are pecul- 
iar; they are the spots of God's children. Here was something excus- 
able; yea, even commendable. Such was their acquaintance with 
Scripture, their applying to our Lord for his permission and approba- 
tion, their faith and confidence in his power, that if He willed the thing 
it must take place, and their attachment to him ; for they could not 
bear to see one so dear to them insulted, in being refused the common 
rights of strangers. But evil blended with the good. Their zeal was 
not according to knowledge. The punishment was also extreme : for 
though the people had shown their rudeness and prejudices, they had 
not offered them violence ; yet they must be destroyed, and sent down 
quick into hell in their sins — and all of them, though some might have 
been far less blamable than others. The cases, too, were not parallel. 
Elias had a call : the very impulse in him was supernatural, and was 
justified by the event ; for fire from heaven would not have obeyed the 
dictate of private passion. He acted from a regard to the glory of 
God and the welfare of Israel ; but these men had no call, and were 
urged on by their own feelings. 

He therefore rebukes them : " Ye know not what manner of spirit 
ye are of." They little suspected how much their own tempers had to 
do in the proposal. When the Gadarenes besought him to depart out 
of their coasts, and when the Nazarenes took him to the brow of the 
hill to cast him down, these disciples did not call for such vengeance 
then. No ; they were Jews, but these offenders are Samaritans. How 
insensibly does something of our selfish and carnal feelings creep in and 
assume a religious pretension. None of our passions justify themselves 
so much as anger ; we think we do well to be angry, but the wrath of 
man worketh not the righteousness of God. We may offer strange fire 
on God's own altar, but it is not thereby sanctified. The author of 

Morn. Exer. 15 



226 MORNING EXERCISES. 

peace and lover of concord requires us to " show out of a good conver- 
sation our works with meekness of wisdom. And the fruit of right- 
eousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." 

How much does it become us to study our own spirits, and watch 
over the springs of our actions. A Jehu may say, " Come, see my zeal 
for the Lord," when he was only removing God's enemies to clear his 
own way to the throne. What do some mean by dealing faithfully, as 
they call it, with others, but indulging their dislike and insolence? 
Some professors of religion never reprove their servants and children 
but in fretfulness and ill-humor, and then their temper is discharged in 
a kind of spiritual scolding. "Who can understand his errors ? " Search 
me, God, and know my heart : try me, and know my thoughts ; and 
see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlast- 
ing." 

Our Lord knew James and John better than they knew themselves, 
and in further reproof, he refers to himself as their example : " For the 
Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." He 
came indeed to seek and to save the soul principally, but he did not 
overlook the body. He healed the diseased ; he fed the hungry. And 
he has taught us to be merciful to the temporal wants of our fellow- 
creatures. And even in carrying on his own peculiar cause, and 
endeavoring to promote the religion of the Bible, he allows us not to 
employ force, or to impoverish, or imprison, or in any way persecute. 
The weapons of his warfare are not carnal, but spiritual. My king- 
dom, said he, is not of this world, else would my servants fight. Indeed 
they would. Yea, they have fought: men, women, children have 
fought ; they have fought with more than the courage of heroes : they 
have prayed, and lived, and taught, and wept, and bled, and died ! 



MAY 13. 

"I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 7 : 25. 

The experience of the Christian while in this world is of a mixed 
nature. It resembles the day spoken of by Zechariah, which was neither 
dark nor clear. Whatever advantages he attains at present, there is 
always enough to tell him that this is not his rest. Yet under all his 
complaints, he has reason to take courage and be thankful. So it was 
with Paul. For these words are to be taken in connection with his 
language in the preceding verse, where he groans, being burdened with 
the remains of indwelling sin : " wretched man that I am ! who shall 
deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus 
Christ our Lord." 

Yes ; even in the midst of such an experience as this, there is a 
fourfold ground of thankfulness. The Christian may say first, I thank 
God through Jesus Christ our Lord, that my corruption is my complaint. 
Once it was not so with me ; neither is it so with many now. They drink 
in iniquity as the ox drinketh in water. It is their element, but it is 



MAY 13. 227 

not mine. They roll it as a sweet morsel under their tongue ; but I 
have been made to know that it is an evil thing and bitter. I loathe it, 
and abhor myself for it, repenting in dust and ashes. The heart of 
stone has been taken away, and I have a heart of flesh ; a heart affected 
not only with the guilt, but the pollution and the vileness of sin. I 
have nothing to boast of ; every view I take of myself is humbling ; but 
my desire is before him, and my groaning is not hid from him. And 
the weary and heavy-laden are invited to come to the Saviour for rest. 

Secondly, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, that though 
I am in the conflict, I am not conquered. Though yet alive, the enemy 
is dethroned. Though it rages, it does not reign. It threatens to 
resume its ascendency, and has sometimes alarmed my fears. I have 
said, I shall one day perish ; but having obtained help of God, I con- 
tinue to this day ; faint, yet pursuing, and feeling no disposition to turn 
back. 

Thirdly, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, that deliver- 
ance is sure. 

" What though my inbred lusts rebel, 
'Tis but a struggling gasp for life : 
The weapons of victorious grace 

Shall slay my sins, and end the strife." 

The victory in this case may be inferred from the reality of the conflict. 
It is as certain as the word of God can render it. The result is left to 
no precariousness, but secured in the everlasting covenant. He who 
made his soul a sacrifice for sin, shall see his seed and be glorified in 
them. Their help is laid on One that is mighty. His blood cleanseth 
from all sin. His righteousness justifies the ungodly. His grace is 
sufficient for the most weak and exposed. They shall never perish, 
neither shall any pluck them out of his hand. And they may anticipate 
the consequence ; and rejoicing in a hope that maketh not ashamed, say, 
I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to 
keep that which I have committed to him against that day. Yea, 

Finally, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, that the deliv- 
erance is near. Were it remote, I ought to wait for it with patience. 
Others wait. " The husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the 
earth, and hath long patience until he receive the early and the latter 
rain." But it will not tarry. If life be short, the conflict cannot be 
long. Soon the warfare must be accomplished. Soon the enemies I 
have seen to-day, I shall see no more for ever. My salvation is nearer 
than when I believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. 

" Though painful at present, 
'T will cease before long ; 
And then, how pleasant 
The conqueror's song." 






228 MORNING EXERCISES. 

MAY 14. 

"I will cause you to pass under the rod." Ezek. 20 : 37. 

Three things in the Scripture go by this name. A father's scourge, 
a king's sceptre, and a shepherd's crook. All these will apply in the 
present instance ; and all of them are necessary to do some justice to 
the subject. 

There is a paternal rod. Thus we read, He that spareth the rod, 
hateth his son. I will visit their transgressions with a rod, and their 
iniquities with stripes. There can be no mistake here. The idea is 
correction, and the rod means the instrument with which the father 
chastises. God is a father, and he has a rod. This rod is made up of 
any kind of affliction, outward troubles, bodily pains, family bereave- 
ments. Even men, wicked men, reproaching and injuring us, #nd unde- 
servedly too, as to them, may be God's scourge to make us suffer. Thus 
he said of the Assyrian : " Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the 
staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against a hypo- 
critical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a 
charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down 
like the mire of the streets." Our friends, our children, our dearest 
comforts in life, if needs be, God can make the means of chastising us. 
"Who comes not under this rod? "As many as I love, I rebuke and 
chasten." They are not all exercised in the same way ; but " what son 
is he whom the father chasteneth not ?" And who, painful as the exer- 
cise may be, cannot acknowledge in the review, if not in the enduring, 
" It is good for me that I have been afflicted?" 

And as they are useful in our progress in the divine life, so they have 
frequently been the means of first awakening the desire, " Where is God 
my Maker, who giveth songs in the night ?" The failure of the human 
arm has led to a dependence on the divine. The desolations of earth 
have said to purpose, " Arise, and depart hence, for this is not your rest." 
What sent the prodigal home? "He began to be in want." What 
brought Manasseh to repentance ? " In his affliction he sought the Lord 
God of his father." 

" Father, I bless thy gentle hand : 
How kind was thy chastising rod, 
That forced my conscience to a stand, 
And brought my wandering soul to God." 

There is a regal rod. So we call a sceptre. Of the Messiah, the 
King on his holy hill of Zion, it is said, " He shall rule them with a rod 
of iron ;" but this refers to his adversaries. He has another kind of 
rod for his subjects : " The Lord shall send the rod of his strength out 
of Zion. v And what was sent out of Zion but the gospel? The gospel 
therefore is his rod ; and this rod is his sceptre, the emblem of his 
authority, displaying his majesty, and maintaining his rule. Hence it 
is added, " Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies ;" meaning, over his 
subjects, though surrounded with foes ; for they are brought under his 



MAY 15. 229 

sway, and feel and acknowledge their subjection. It therefore follows, 
" Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." Though once 
they said, Who is the Lord? and we will not have him to reign over 
us, they are all brought under the rod of his strength. The gospel 
has come to them, not in word only, but in power. It has awakened 
their consciences ; it has changed their dispositions ; it has made them 
submit to the righteousness which is of God, and to yield themselves to 
his service as those who are alive from the dead. They were the ser- 
vants of sin, but they now obey from the heart the form of doctrine 
which was delivered to them. 

There is a pastoral rod. Of this David speaks ; when addressing 
the Lord as his shepherd, he says, " Yea, though I walk through the 
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil ; for thou art with 
me : thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." This refers to the crook 
with which the shepherd both walks as he follows, and uses as he mana- 
ges the sheep. It is the symbol and instrument of his charge and office. 
The people of God are naturally like lost sheep going astray, wander- 
ing upon the mountains of barrenness and danger. He seeks them, and 
finds them out, and brings them all under his rod. And happy they 
who are under his care. He "is their shepherd, and they shall not 
want. He will make them to lie down in green pastures. He will feed 
them beside the still waters. He will restore their souls, and lead them 
in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake." " He will gather 
the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead 
those that are with young." And the privilege commenced in grace, 
will be continued and completed in glory. " Therefore are they before 
the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple ; and he 
that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger 
no more, neither thirst any more ; neither shall the sun light on them, 
nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall 
feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God 
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." 



MAY 15. 

"I will bring you into the bond of the covenant." Ezek. 20 : 37. 

"What is this covenant ? Some always consider it a kind of stipula- 
tion between God and us, in which he proposes to do so much, if we 
will do so much ; thus representing the Supreme Being as a bargainer, 
getting as good terms as he can ; while man, the other high contracting 
party, agrees to them. But God is said to make a covenant with the 
earth, and with the beasts of the field. This cannot intend a reciprocal 
negotiation, but the engagement of God only. It is called a covenant 
allusively, to signify its stability and certainty ; the effect in the one 
instance being put for the cause in the other. For the same reason, 
this name is given to that gracious constitution for the salvation of sin- 
ners through the Mediator, made known in the Scripture for the obedi- 



230 MORNING EXEECISES. 

ence of faith ; and is the very same with what is also called " the mercy 
promised to the fathers ; ;? and " the hope of eternal life, which God, 
that cannot lie, promised before the world began." 

The bond of this covenant is the obligation which it lays upon God 
who makes it, and upon those who are saved by it. We could not, 
without profaneness, have talked of binding God ; but he has been 
pleased, in his infinite condescension, to bind himself. His heart could 
have been trusted, but he knew our frame and our weakness ; and to 
remove all our fearful misgivings, arising from our meanness and guilt, 
he has brought himself under a covenant engagement. And if it be 
but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth it. 
And he has confirmed his engagement by an oath ; and because he could 
swear by no greater, he sware by himself; and also by sacrifice — and 
the victim was no less than his only begotten Son, and whose blood 
therefore is called the blood of the everlasting covenant. Thus he is 
bound to be the God of his people. He is bound to save them, to par- 
don them, to sanctify them, to help them ; bound to make all things 
work together for their good ; bound to give them grace and glory, 
and to withhold no good thing from them. 

It also binds them — not to atone for their sin, this is already expi- 
ated ; nor to produce a righteousness to justify them before God, this 
is already brought in, and on this their hope only relies — but they are 
bound to obey and serve and glorify Him who has done such great 
things for them. Surely evidence, consistency, gratitude, justice, require 
it. They feel the obligation and acknowledge it, and wish all to know 
that they are not their own, but bought with a price. They feel the 
obligation, and it is not irksome ; for though they are bound, it is with 
the cords of a man, and the bands of love. It is the obligation of a 
mother to press to her bosom her sucking child ; it is the obligation of 
a hungry man to eat his pleasant meat. My meat is to do the will of 
him that sent me. It is a yoke ; but it is like the yoke of marriage to 
the happy pair who daily bless the bonds. It is a burden ; but it is like 
the burden of wings to the bird, which instead of confining him, gives 
him the freedom of the skies. My yoke, says the Saviour, is easy, and 
my burden is light. 

Blessed are the people that are in such a case. Their humble con- 
fidence can authorize them in every trouble to say, " Yet hath he made 
with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure ; for 
this is all my salvation, and all my desire :" and their affectionate zeal, 
in every temptation, will constrain them to sing, 

" All that I have, and all I am, 
Shall be for ever thine : 
TThate'er my duty bids me give, 
My cheerful hands resign. 

Yet, if I might make some reserve, 

And duty did not call, 
I love my God with zeal so great, 

That I should give him all. 



MAY 16. 231 



MAY 16/ 



"And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he 
steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem." Luke 9 : 51. 

Whither he was to be received up is not mentioned. But it is easily 
understood, especially if we compare the words with other passages. 
Accordingly, the margin refers us to two places : in the first of which 
Luke says, " Until the day in which he was taken up," and in the sec- 
ond, Mark says, " So, then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was 
received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God." The event, 
therefore, was his ascending to his Father and our Father, to his God 
and our God. There was the home where he originally dwelt. He 
speaks of a glory which he had with the Father before the world was. 
Thus he was rich ; but for our sakes he became poor, and made himself 
of no reputation. He resided on earth for three and thirty years in a 
kind of exile, a Prince, higher than the kings of the earth, in disguise ; 
and the world knew him not. But having accomplished the work that 
was given him to do, he entered into his glory. 

And if nothing is left to chance in our minutest affairs, surely there 
was nothing unarranged with regard to his leaving this world to go 
unto the Father. Accordingly we here read of the time for his being 
received up. And if they have chronicles above, and days, as we have, 
what a memorable day would that have been in which, after such an 
absence, and after such astonishing exploits, and completely vanquish- 
ing all the powers of darkness, the everlasting doors were opened for 
the King of glory to enter in ! 

On this, therefore, the Saviour fixed his eye, and this emboldened 
him to set his face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem. For what zeal, what 
courage did the determination require! He knew the perilous nature 
of the journey. He apprehended all that awaited him when he should 
arrive. He knew that there he should be forsaken and betrayed, and 
apprehended and mocked, and scourged and crucified. Yet his resolu- 
tion does not fail him. Lo, I come, says he, to do thy will, God ! I 
have a baptism to be baptized with ; and how am I straitened till it be 
accomplished ! For he looked beyond, and regarded the blessed result. 
And this was, the glorification of his human nature ; the acquirement 
of his mediatorial reward ; the dispensation of the Holy Spirit ; the 
government of the world ; the salvation of the church ; the enjoyment 
of the praises of the redeemed for ever. This was the joy set before 
him in covenant engagement, and for this he endured the cross, and 
despised the shame. For though his soul was to be made a sacrifice 
for sin. yet he knew that he should rise from the dead, and see of the 
travail of his soul, and be satisfied. Therefore, as the season drew 
near, he looked to the issue, and triumphed in the prospect. Now, 
says he, is the hour that the Son of man shall be, not abased, but glori- 
fied. Now is the judgment of this world ; now is the prince of this 



232 MORNING EXERCISES. 

world cast out ; and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all 
men unto me. 

So, Christian, should it be with you. There is a time appointed 
when you also shall be removed from this vale of tears, and be for ever 
with the Lord. Think of it, and set your face boldly and firmly to go 
wherever duty calls. The man who has an amputation to suffer must 
not dwell on the operation, but must pass in thought beyond, to the 
restoration of health, and the continuance of life. This, Christian, is 
the way to endure, and to be more than a conqueror. It is to, reckon 
that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared 
with the glory that shall be revealed. You may sow in tears, but you 
shall reap in joy. The road may be rough, but it will soon bring you 

home. 

"Yet a season, and you know 
Happy entrance will be given ; 
All your sorrows left below, 
And earth exchanged for heaven." 



MAY 17. 



"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery fur- 
nace, and he will deliver us out of thy hand, king. But if not, be it known unto thee, 
king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast 
set up." Dan. 3 : 17, 18. 

Conduct so tried, and so triumphant in the trial, must have had 
some principle to produce it. He who acts without principle is the 
slave of impulse, humor, accident, custom ; and you can no more rely 
upon him than upon a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. 
But when a man is governed by principle, he will be consistent in his 
practice. He may have infirmities, but a sameness pervades his char- 
acter. He may err, but he is conscientious, and his excellences will 
appear even in his mistakes and failings. Can we find a principle ade- 
quate to this heroism ? The apostle tells us it was faith. But faith 
must have something to lay hold of, and the faith of these young men 
seizes three things. 

The first is the power of God. " Our God whom we serve is able to 
deliver us from the burning fiery furnace." They knew nothing was 
too hard for the Lord. And we believe in the Father Almighty, Maker 
of heaven and earth. We indeed are not to look for miracles, but the 
power of God is the same as formerly, and there are cases in which the 
view of it can alone inspire relief. "When difficulties multiply, and 
means fail, and creatures say, Help is not in us, then we must lay hold 
of his strength, and remember that he is able to do for us exceeding 
abundantly above all we can ask or think. 

The second is his disposition. " And he mill deliver us out of thy 
hand, king." This they deemed probable ; perhaps they had a per- 
suasion of it, derived from a divine impression, or deduced from the 
character of God, and the records of his word. They had read in the 



MAY 17. 233 

Scriptures, along with the experience of his people, the assurance," Call 
upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee." " When thou 
passest through the waters, I will be with thee ; and through the riv- 
ers, they shall not overflow thee : when thou walkest though the fire, 
thou shalt not be burned ; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." 
Here is another argument of faith : His people eye his goodness as well 
as his power, and know that he will appear for them and save them, in 
his own way and in his own time. 

The third is a future state. " But if not, be it known unto thee, 
king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image 
which thou hast set up." What, would they refuse, even if death was 
the consequence ? Yes. And this shows undeniably that they did not 
consider death as annihilation. They would not have acted thus had 
they believed that there was nothing beyond the grave. Had they 
perished in the furnace, their martyrdom could not have been their 
duty ; it would have been the sacrifice of fools ; their end would have 
been madness. 

This is the very case argued by the apostle : " If in this life only 
we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most miserable." "Else 
what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not 
at all? why are they then b-aptized for the dead? And why stand we 
in jeopardy every hour?" God does not require us to sacrifice our 
being and happiness for ever to his pleasure. It is not his pleasure ; it 
cannot be his pleasure. By the law of our nature, and the authority of 
his word, we are even commanded to seek our welfare, and to seek first 
the kingdom of God and his righteousness ; and therefore, to be willing 
to give these up, would be disobedience and contempt. But the lan- 
guage was wise and noble, when they knew, that though they fell in 
the conflict, they should yet be more than conquerors, and that, if they 
lost a dying, they would obtain an immortal life. 

It is absurd to suppose the Jews of old had no knowledge of a 
future state. Search the Scriptures, says the Saviour, for in them ye 
think ye have eternal life. Abraham, and his fellow-heirs of the same 
promise, said such things as declared plainly that they sought a coun- 
try, even a heavenly. David said, "Thou shalt guide me with thy 
counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." Shadrach, Meshech, and 
Abednego acted upon this belief, and must have acted upon it. They 
endured as seeing Him who is invisible. And what was Nebuchadnez- 
zar, compared with the Almighty ? What was the furnace, compared 
with the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second 
death? What could they gain by complying, compared with what they 
would for ever lose ? And what could they lose by refusing, compared 
with what they would for ever gain? "We reckon," said they, "that 
the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with 
the glory that shall be revealed in us." 

And our faith must regard the future, or we shall be often perplexed 
and vanquished. " This is the victory that overcometh the world, even 






234 MORNING EXERCISES. 

our faith." Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of 
God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, for he had respect 
unto the recompense of the reward. This believed and realized, ex- 
plains all, harmonizes all, indemnifies all, glorifies all ; " For our light 
affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceed- 
ing and eternal weight of glory ; while we look not at the things 
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen : for the things 
which are seen are temporal ; but the things which are not seen are 
eternal." " Lord, I believe ; help thou mine unbelief." 



MAY 18. 



" Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here : if thou 
wilt, let us make here three tabernacles ; one for thee, and one for Moses, and ODe for 
Elias." Matt. 17:4. 

"Not knowing," we are assured by the Holy Ghost, "not knowing 
what he said." For had the motion been complied with, how could our 
Saviour have suffered and died ? And if Peter had continued there, 
how could he have attended to his wife and children ? Besides, he was 
mistaken as to the nature and design of the dispensation, which was 
only for a confirmation of their faith, by making them witnesses of his 
glory, and to afford them a glimpse or taste of the heavenly blessedness. 
The full fruition was for another world. If ever we think of building 
tabernacles here, we shall soon hear a voice saying, " Arise, and depart 
hence, for this is not your rest." 

But though he did not know what he said, he knew why he said it. 
Two things caused his bliss. First, the communion of saints. And 
here were not only John and James, but Moses and Elias. And these 
were not shining statues ; they spoke, and spoke of the Saviour's de- 
cease. What a subject! What speakers! How delightful must such 
intercourse have been. But the second was the presence of Jesus. 
And surely it cannot be a question why it is good to be where He is. 
With him we are safe, and nowhere else. He is the source of all de- 
light and knowledge. He is the fountain of honor and excellency. 
He is the consolation of Israel. He is all, and in all. 

But where is he with his people ? We do not mean as to his essen- 
tial presence — this is universal — but as to his special and gracious. He 
is with them in the closet. There he manifests himself to them, as he 
does not in the world. There they enjoy an intimacy, a freedom, an 
unrestrained intercourse with him, such as other company will not 
allow. " Could these beams and rafters," said a good man, pointing to 
an unceiled roof, " speak, they would testify what hours of enjoyment I 
have had here in communion with him." Of the closet, therefore, they 
can say, It is good for us to be here. 

He is with them in his temple. Where would you look for a man 
but in his own house ? And the sanctuary is the place where the Lord's 
honor dwelleth. In all places where I record my name, I will come 



MAY 19. 235 

unto thee, and I will bless thee. And have they not found the promise 
true ? Have they not seen his power and glory in the sanctuary ? Of 
his house, therefore, they can say, It is good for us to be here. 

He is with them at his table. His cross is every thing to a Chris- 
tian ; and here before our eyes Jesus Christ is evidently set forth cru- 
cified among us. "What a sublime duty, what an exalted privilege is 
the commemoration of his death ! His flesh is meat indeed, and his 
blood is drink indeed. Who has not peculiarly found him in this exer- 
cise the Tree of life? - "Who has not said, I sat down under his shadow 
with delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste ? It is good for us to 
be here. 

He is with them in the furnace. There the three Hebrew children 
found him. The flames only consumed their bands, and set them free, 
and they were seen walking in the midst of the fire with the Son of 
God. I will be with thee, says he, in trouble. And if this be fulfilled, 
and it must be fulfilled, they will have reason to say, however deep the 
distress, Lord, it is good for us to be here. 

He is with them in the vale of death. How much will they need 
him then. Then all other friends and helpers leave them. The heart 
and flesh will fail them. What shall we do, they have often said ; what 
shall we do without him then ? But they will not be without him. He 
knows their frame, and his grace is sufficient for them, and his strength 
shall be perfect in their weakness. Yea, though they walk through 
the valley of the shadow of death, he is with them : his rod and his 
staff they comfort them : and then they have cause to say, Lord, it is 
good for us to he here. 

How much more will they be justified in saying this in heaven. 
There he is with them immediately. There they will see him as he is. 
There, before the presence of his glory, they will possess fulness of 
joy and pleasures for evermore. 

But none will be translated thither in person whose hearts are not 
sent off first. None will have their residence in heaven hereafter who 
have not their conversation in heaven here. None will be with the Lord 
for ever, but those that find it their happiness for the Lord to be with 
them now. _ 



MAY 19. 

" He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments ; and took a towel, and girded 
himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, 
and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." John 13:4, 5. 

That he designed this to be exemplary, is obvious from his own 
declaration after the action had been performed. " Know ye what I 
have done to you ? Ye call me Master and Lord : and ye say well ; for 
so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet ; ye 
also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an exam- 
ple, that ye should do as I have done to you. Yerily, verily, I say unto 
you, The servant is not greater than his lord ; neither he that is sent 






236 MORNING EXERCISES. 

greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye 
if ye do them." 

Now it is not necessary that we should resemble him in the very 
circumstances of the action, but only in the spirit of it. In Popish 
countries the ceremony of washing the feet of another is often per- 
formed by persons not very lowly in heart ; sometimes by a cardinal, 
yea, and sometimes even by the pope himself. But the design is to en- 
force the humility of brotherly love, and to teach us that no service is to 
be deemed too mean for Christians to perform when Providence brings 
it in their way, and the condition of a fellow-creature requires it. "We 
may profess to do this in the abstract, but refuse to afford the actual 
assistance called for in particular instances, because the office is too 
mortifying to the pride of our feelings or manners. But this is not to 
love without dissimulation. This is to love in word and in tongue, but 
not in deed and in truth. Many have lost all credit here by their un- 
feeling, distant, and disdainful conduct towards their inferiors, when 
they had the finest opportunities to evince their condescension, if they 
had any. 

It would be well if all who name the name of Christ would attend 
to the admonition of his apostle : " In honor preferring one another. 
Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate/' 7 Job was 
the greatest man in the East, yet he could say, " If I did despise the 
cause of my man-servant or of my maid-servant, when they contended 
with me ; what then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he vis- 
iteth, what shall I answer him? Did not he that made me in the womb 
make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?" And with 
regard to those sufferers generally overlooked by greatness, yea, and 
by mediocrity too, and those instances of humbler kindness which splen- 
did beneficence never thinks of, he could make this affecting appeal : u If 
I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of 
the widow to fail ; or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless 
hath not eaten thereof; (for from my youth he was brought up with 
me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother's womb ;) 
if I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without cov- 
ering ; if his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed 
with the fleece of my sheep ; if I have lifted up my hand against the 
fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate : then let mine arm be broken 
from the bone." 

A great man seldom wants more help than he can purchase or pro- 
cure. Though he has wasted his substance, and reduced himself so as 
to deserve starvation, his utmost extremity is superfluous subsistence 
compared with the suffering of a worthy character who is neglected 
because originally indigent. But the industrious poor should be the 
objects of our attention, whose distress is brought upon them, not by 
vice, extravagance, and speculation, but by the providence of God, and 
whose condition sinks them below observation, so that, in the midst of 
their trouble, none careth for them. 



MAY 20. 237 

Services small in their nature are greatly esteemed by those who 
are commonly neglected. And in those offices you perform for them 
you serve the Lord Christ. They cannot recompense you, but He will 
graciously say, " Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these my 
brethren, ye did it unto me." 

Let me then hear his blessed invitation : Take my yoke upon you, 
and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart ; and ye shall find 
rest unto your souls. Let the same mind be in me which was also in 
Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to 
be equal with God ; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon 
him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men ; and 
being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obe- 
dient unto death, even the death of the cross. 



MAY 20. 

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." 2 Coe. 9 :15. 

This gratitude, no doubt, must be due, infinitely due. Yet to excite 
and increase our thankfulness, it is desirable to know not only that the 
Son of God has been given for us, but to us, and that he is now actually 
our own. There are some who are satisfied here. They can say, This 
is my beloved, and this is my friend : the strength of my heart, and my 
portion for ever. But this is not the case with all. Some are asking, 
with all the anxiousness the importance of the subject requires, Is this 
unspeakable gift, for which eternity will be too short to praise God, 
mine ? In answer to which, allow me to ask, 

Do you approve of the design for which he was given ? He came 
into the world to save sinners in a way equally gracious and holy. Do 
you acquiesce in a purpose which involves the destruction of self and 
sin? 

Have you received him ? In the word and means of grace he is 
presented to us. We read of some who have received Christ Jesus the 
Lord, and as many as received him were privileged to become the sons 
of God. Has this act been yours ? When Laban saw Abraham's ser- 
vant laden with presents, he said, " Come in, thou blessed of the Lord." 
Did you ever give Christ such an invitation ? " Zaccheus made haste, 
and came down, and received him joyfully." Did you ever give him 
such a welcome ? And are you willing to receive him wholly ? For is 
Christ divided? Can you receive him as your prophet, and not as your 
king ; as your priest, and not as your example ? Can you enjoy him in 
his sacrifice, and refuse him in his service ? Can you entertain him in 
spiritual privileges, and cast him out in spiritual duties ? 

Have you given yourselves to him ? I do not say your substance 
only, or your time only. You may subscribe to religious institutions, 
and attend the means of grace, and keep back the main thing. But 
have you given him yourselves? The Corinthians gave their own- 






238 MORNING EXERCISES. 

selves unto the Lord. Can you remember such a surrender? An 
evening, perhaps, when, like Isaac in the field, you said, " Lord, I am 
thine ; save me." The close of a Sabbath, perhaps, when in your closet 
you read and wept and kneeled, and then rose and wept and kneeled 
again, and said, " Lord, other lords besides thee have had dominion 
over me ; henceforth by thee only will I make mention of thy name." 

Do you supremely prize him ? To them that believe he is precious. 
Paul longed to depart, to be with — James ? Isaiah ? Moses ? No ; but 
to be with Jesus. You have some who are dear to you on earth: you 
have more in heaven. Perhaps you have a child ; lovely here, but a 
cherub there. Perhaps you have a mother there, whose knees were 
the altar on which you laid your little hands to pray. Perhaps you 
have there the dear minister who turned your feet into the path of 
peace. But, thinking of Him, can you say, " Whom have I in heaven 
but thee ? and there is none on earth I desire besides thee." Answer 
these inquiries, and claim this unspeakable gift as your own for ever. 

But here is another question : What use should the possessor make 
of this gift? If you are Christians, though you were once darkness, 
you are now light in the Lord, and must walk as children of light. 
And much of your wisdom must appear in knowing what a prize you 
have in your hand. Make use of him, then, in all your duties. Medi- 
tation is a duty ; let him enrich and enliven and sweeten it. Prayer 
is a duty ; pray always in his name. Make use of him in all your 
wants. You want cleansing ; use him as the fountain open for sin and 
uncleanness. You want safety ; flee to him as your refuge. You want 
food ; and his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed ; feed 
on it. Make use of him in all your afflictions. Are you bereaved ; are 
you poor? Rely upon him in whom you possess all things. You know 
that your Redeemer liveth. 

We have one question more : What can we think of those who dis- 
regard this unspeakable gift? What can we think of their ingenuous- 
ness in contemning such infinite goodness and mercy ? Of their danger ? 
How can they escape, if they neglect so great salvation? Of their mis- 
ery ? What can a wretch do without him in death, and at the judg- 
ment-day ? 

It is awful to think that the Saviour may become the destroyer. 
The greatest blessing may prove the greatest curse. 



MAY 21. 



" That I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored 
in vain." Phil. 2:16. 

This is mentioned as an argument to enforce the duties he had just 
recommended : " Do all things without murmurings and disputings : 
that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, 
in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine 



MAY 21. 239 

as lights in the world ; holding forth the word of life." And surely we 
are to know them that labor among us, and to esteem them very highly 
in love for their works' sake, and to cooperate with them, and to be 
zealously concerned to promote their usefulness and comfort. There is 
a peculiar relation between the minister and the people of his charge ; 
and as a well-conditioned flock is the credit of the shepherd, and a well- 
ordered family the commendation of the master, and the moral and 
prosperous state of his subjects the praise of the ruler, so a wise, holy, 
consistent, amiable, lively, useful church is the honor and happiness of 
the preacher. He lives if they stand fast in the Lord. They are his 
glory and joy. 

But why, for this satisfaction, does the apostle refer to so late a pe- 
riod as the day of Christ ? Had he no present rejoicing from their 
excellences and exertions ? He had. Yet he knew that he must now 
rejoice with trembling. He had known many who did run well, but 
were hindered ; who began in the Spirit, but ended in the flesh. He 
had seen many moral blossoms perishing without fruit ; and experience 
taught him to distinguish between the hope of the spring and the rich- 
ness of autumn. Persons for a season may rejoice in a minister's light, 
but in time of temptation fall away. They may hang on his lips, and 
then break his heart. He only that endureth to the end shall be saved. 
Then are we made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our 
confidence steadfast unto the end, and " the day will declare it." 

And till then the true character and condition of those among 
whom he has labored will not be completely ascertained and devel- 
oped. 

Till then, also, his hearers will not be placed beyond the reach of 
moral harm, or be incapable of injuring the cause they profess. 

Till then, also, his aim will not be fully accomplished, which is, to 
"present every man perfect in Christ Jesus," and "filled with all the 
fulness of God." 

Then also many will acknowledge their obligations to his instru- 
mentality for their conversion or edification, which he knew nothing of 
here. And it will be safer and better for him not to know the extent 
and degree of his usefulness till he is secure from the possibility of 
vanity and pride. Then is the period for rejoicing, where there can be 
no mistake, no excess, no danger in the joy. 

Oh, may he that watches for my soul as one that must give an ac- 
count, do it with joy, and not with grief! 

What a proof is here that there will be a knowledge of each other 
in heaven ! How else could the apostle say of converts, " What is our 
hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing ? Are not even ye in the presence 
of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?" 



240 MORXING EXERCISES. 

MAY 22. 

« Justified by the faith of Christ." Gal. 2 : 16. 

Let me remark here the blessing, and the way in which it is ob- 
tained. 

What is justification? It is not the making us righteous in person, 
but in state. The Papists confound it with sanctification, and some 
Protestants do the same. But justification stands opposed to condemna- 
tion. It is the absolving a man from a charge, the acquitting him when 
accused, and pronouncing him righteous. Only as we are really guilty, 
we cannot be justified by disproving the offence, but by the non-imputa- 
tion of it, and treating us as innocent. The manner is described by the 
apostle : " We are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption 
that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth as a propitiation for 
sin." The blessing is full and complete, for we "are justified from all 
things." It is permanent and irreversible : " Their sins and iniquities 
will I remember no more." It is also a present benefit. The percep- 
tion of it may be wanting, but the state is real ; they have passed from 
death unto life, they are accepted in the Beloved. And blessed, says 
David, is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 
Blessed in his duties, blessed in his comforts, blessed in his trials. For 
him affliction has no curse, death no sting, eternity no terror. 

This inestimable blessing is obtained by the faith of Christ. We 
are often curious, and ask for reasons when we should be satisfied with 
facts. It is not necessary to be able to explain precisely how faith jus- 
tifies the soul. It should be enough for us to know that it is a truth 
clearly revealed. 

And since, my soul, none are justified that do not believe, and all 
that believe are justified, let me apply my heart unto wisdom. Instead 
of losing myself in subtle inquiries and angry disputes, let me do two 
things : let me observe, first, the importance of this faith. It is, in a 
sober sense, as important as Christ. What therefore is ascribed to him 
meritoriously, is ascribed to faith instrumentally. He is the well ; but 
by faith we draw water out of it. He is the refuge ; but a refuge can- 
not screen us unless it be entered. He is the bread of life ; but food 
cannot nourish us unless it be eaten ; and all this is done by faith only. 

Let me, secondly, ask, seriously and earnestly, have I this faith of 
Christ ? Do I believe the record, that God hath given us eternal life, 
and that this life is in his Son? And am I repairing to him, and trust- 
in him alone for salvation ? How does my faith sow ? Does it " sow 
in tears?" How does it rejoice? Does it "rejoice in Christ Jesus," 
and has it " no confidence in the flesh ?" How does it work ? Does it 
"work by love?" How does it travel? How plead? Can I say, "I 
will go in the strength of the Lord God : I will make mention of his 
righteousness only ? ? ' 






MAY 23. 241 



MAY 23. 



" Be not ye called Rabbi : for one is your Master, even Christ ; and all ye are breth- 
ren." Matt. 23 : 8. 

Rabbi signifies master, not a domestic or civil master, having ser- 
vants or subjects under him, but a master of pupils, a leader, a teacher 
having disciples who admire and follow him. It was not an ancient 
title ; we scarcely read of it before the coming of the Messiah. The 
scribes and Pharisees were exceedingly fond of this name. "They 
love," says our Lord, " greetings in the markets, and to be called of 
men, Rabbi, Rabbi." " But," adds he, " be not ye called Rabbi." 

The apostles followed this admonition. " We have no dominion," 
said they, " over your faith, but are helpers of your joy." They did not 
lord it over God's heritage, but fed them with knowledge and under- 
standing, and were ensamples to the flock. They considered themselves 
as messengers, deriving all their authority from their employer, and 
always referred their people from themselves to him. They delivered 
nothing but what they had received ; and called upon those they ad- 
dressed not to believe in them implicitly, but to search the Scriptures, 
to prove all things, and hold fast that which was good. They were of- 
fended if persons thought too highly of them, or wished to be named 
after them. " Was Paul crucified for you ? or were ye baptized in the 
name of Paul ? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers 
by whom ye believed, even as God gave to every man?" "So, then, 
neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth ; but 
God that giveth the increase." 

It is now hardly possible to avoid religious names ; but we lament 
that they were ever introduced. Why should parties be called Calvin- 
ists, Arminians, Lutherans, Baxterians, or by any other denomination? 
If the sentiments held by any of these men are not found in the sacred 
writings, they are not binding upon the conscience, whoever sanctions 
them ; and if they are, why should it be intimated that they have any 
other origin? Let us be satisfied with the words the Holy Ghost 
useth, without attaching salvation or damnation to men's definitions of 
them. The documents are divine and infallible ; but who can pro- 
nounce the explications to be so ? 

If we call ourselves by the name of any human authority, let it be 
an inspired one. Let us call ourselves Paulites, after Paul ; or John- 
ites, after John. But no ; the worthy name by which we will be 
called, is Christians, after Christ. All we are brethren, but he is our 
Master, and the voice from the most excellent glory cries, " Hear ye 
Aim." His authority was proved by miracles, wonders, and signs. " In 
him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." All he deliv- 
ers to us is truth — truth unmixed with error — truth of the mightiest im- 
portance — truth that can make us free — truth that can make us holy — 
truth that can make us blessed for evermore. And as to the mode of 

Morn. Exer. 16 



242 MORNING EXERCISES. 

his tuition, none teaches like him, so tenderly, so effectually, so perse- 
veringly. 

Will ye also go away ? " Lord, to whom should we go but unto 
thee?" 

Will ye also be his disciples ? my soul, refuse not the privilege. 
Henceforth may I hear him, watching daily at his gates, and waiting 
at the posts of his doors. "Lead me in thy truth, and guide me; for 
thou art the God of my salvation : on thee do I wait all the day." 



MAY 24. 

" I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly 
mountain, and Lebanon." Deut. 3:25. 

This desire seemed improper. For God had expressly said unto 
Moses and Aaron, "Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the 
eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congre- 
gation into the land which I have given them." We are poor creatures, 
and often insensibly transfer to God the effects of our own feeling and 
conduct. Did Moses then, through infirmity, think that God was 
changeable ? No ; but he thought the threatening was not absolute ; 
especially as it was not ratified by an oath, as the exclusion of the peo- 
ple was. For many of God's denunciations, as we see, for instance, in 
the sentence with regard to Nineveh, have a condition implied, though 
not expressed. They will be executed unless repentance intervenes. 
Upon this principle it was possible for Moses to hope for a retraction 
of the interdict. 

But the desire was a very natural one. It was natural for him to 
desire to enter Canaan, even as an object of curiosity, of which he had 
heard so much ; but still more as an object of hope, which had been so 
long promised, with every enhancement. This it was that had animated 
the people to leave Egypt. This had encouraged them in all their 
travels in the desert. This was the end, the recompense of all their 
toils and sufferings for forty years. And they had now nearly reached 
it. How painful to miss the prize when the hand was in the very act 
of seizing it, and to have the cup dashed even from the lip ! 

Yet the desire was refused. And the Lord said unto him, Let it 
suffice thee ; speak no more to me of this matter. For he sometimes 
refuses the desires of his servants, and the most eminent and endeared 
of them too. And he does this in two ways. Sometimes he does it in 
love. He denies, because what is desired would prove dangerous and 
injurious. We should think badly of a father who, if a son asked 
bread, would give him a stone ; or if he asked a fish, would give a 
scorpion. But suppose, through ignorance, his son should ask for a 
scorpion instead of a fish ; or suppose he should cry for a sharp instru- 
ment, or beg to climb up a ladder, would he love his child then unless 
he rejected his wish? In how many cases must a wise and good par- 
ent distinguish between a child's wishes and his wants ! He may wish 



MAY 24. 243 

for liberty, but he wants restraint ; he may wish for holidays, but he 
wants schooling ; he may wish for dainties, but he wants medicine. 
Here the love of the parent must appear acting not according to the 
wish, but welfare of his child. How well would it have been for the 
Jews, had God more than once turned a deaf ear to their importunity. 
They would have a king, and he " gave them a king in his anger, and 
took him away in his wrath." They would have flesh, and he gave 
them their hearts' desire, but sent leanness into their souls. On the 
other hand, who does not see, in looking back upon life, how well for 
him it was that such a scheme failed, that such a hope was crushed ? 
How much evil lurked under the specious appearance, or would have 
resulted from the indulgence. Who knows what is good for a man in 
this life? No one but God ; the good God : 

" Good when He gives, supremely good ,• 
Nor less when he denies : 
E'en crosses from his sov 'reign hand 
Are blessings in disguise." 

He also sometimes refuses in anger. Wrath is incompatible with 
love, but anger is not ; anger may even flow from it. Though Chris- 
tians cannot be condemned, they may be chastened ; and the law of the 
house is, that if his children walk not in his commandments, he will 
visit their transgressions with a rod, and their iniquities with stripes. 
Hence those who shall be saved eternally, may lie under the present 
rebukes of Providence ; and be refused many things on which they 
have set their heart, as to station, business, connections, and usefulness. 
They may think hard of this at first, but as they discover their unwor- 
thiness and desert, they will bow to the dispensation, and say with 
David, " I know, Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou 
in faithfulness hast afflicted me." By such conduct, too, Providence 
reads lessons to others. See, it says, the evil of sin. See how severely 
God deals with it, even in his own people. And "if these things are 
done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" If judgment 
begins at the house of God, " what shall the end be of them that obey 
not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? And if the righteous scarcely 
are saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear ?" 

Yet his desire was partially indulged : " Thou shalt not go over this 
Jordan ; but get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes 
westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it 
with thine eyes." This was obviously intended not to tantalize him, 
but to be a mitigation of the severe sentence. The preservation of his 
good sight to so great an age fitted him for the gaze, and probably it 
was also strengthened and enlarged for this very purpose. The pros- 
pect showed him how worthy the country was of all that God had said 
concerning it, and would give him high and honorable views of the 
truth and goodness of God, in his covenant with Abraham and Isaac 
and Jacob. Along with this, too, there was exerted the influence of 
divine grace, which soothed and satisfied him. For by this God can 



244 MORNING EXERCISES. 

make us easy and contented under the refusal or loss of any comfort, 
however essential to our happiness it appeared before; so that we 
behave and quiet ourselves as a child that is weaned of his mother ; 
our soul is even as a weaned child. While also, his mind was raised to 
things above, and in type and emblem, to a better country, into which 
he was immediately to enter. Then there would be no want of an 
earthly Canaan. 

Thus, in the midst of judgment He remembers mercy. Though he 
cause grief, yet will he have compassion. Like as a father pitieth his 
children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him ; for he knoweth our 
frame, he remembereth that we are dust. 



MAY 25. 

" Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God." Ephes. 4 : 30. 

The expression is not to be taken properly and literally, as if the 
Holy Spirit of God was capable of vexation or sorrow. The divine 
nature is not subject to human passions. God's condescension is not to 
rob him of his glory. When the Scripture ascribes to him actions or 
affections that imply imperfections, it is in accommodation to our weak- 
ness of apprehension. We lisp with infants. And unable to view the 
shining sun with the naked eye, we survey it in a vessel of water, or 
through obscured glass. 

We grieve a friend when we neglect him, or go contrary to his 
wishes and interests. And when he is grieved he betrays it. His 
countenance is not towards us as aforetime. Frowns succeeded to 
smiles ; he complains and reproves ; he discontinues his visits and cor- 
respondence. All this will apply to the grieving of the Holy Spirit of 
God. And there are three reasons why we should not grieve him. 
Nothing can be more unbecoming, ungrateful, unwise. 

Nothing can be more unbecoming, if we consider his greatness. 
The Holy Spirit is deserving in himself of all the regard we can 
express. If a nobleman was calling upon you, common civility would 
teach you not to hurt his mind. If the king honored you with his 
presence, how anxious would you feel not to offend him ; how studious 
would you be to please him in all your actions and words and looks. 
Here all comparison fails. No mortal is honored like the Christian, 
with whom the King of kings and Lord of lords deigns even to dwell. 
And will he not be sensible of this honor ? Will he not exclaim, "Lord, 
what is man, that thou art mindful of him ; or the son of man, that 
thou visitest him?" Will he not fall upon his knees and pray, " Let the 
words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in 
thy sight. Lord, my strength and my Kedeemer?" 

Nothing can be more ungrateful, if we consider his goodness. What 
obligation was he under to you ? You were not worthy of the least of 
all his mercies : you deserve that his wrath should have come upon you 
as children of disobedience. Had he therefore left you to perish, you 



MAY 25. 245 

would have had no reason to complain. But who remembered you in 
your low estate? Who quickened you, when dead in trespasses and 
sins? Who unstopped your deaf ears, and opened your blind eyes? 
Who turned your feet into the paths of peace? Who enabled you to 
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to life everlasting? Who gave you a 
disposition, a taste congenial with the work and enjoyment of heaven ? 
Who sealed you unto the day of redemption? But for his gracious 
agency, -where and what would you now have been? And are you for- 
getful of all this ? Are you grieving such a benefactor ? Is this thy 
kindness to thy friend? 

Nothing can be more unwise, if we consider his importance to you. 
As you are deeply indebted to him for the past, so you are entirely 
dependent upon him for the future. You live in the Spirit, you walk 
in the Spirit. Grieve the Holy Spirit of God? What, would you 
grieve your Leader, and be left to travel alone? Can you find your way 
without him ? Can you learn without this teacher? Must he not guide 
you into all truth ? What, would you grieve your Helper, and be left to 
act alone in your work ? Can you worship without the preparation of 
the heart and the answer of the tongue, which are from him ? With- 
out him, can you order your speech, by reason of darkness? Can you 
know what to pray for as you ought, unless the Spirit helps your infirm- 
ities? What. power have you in any duty, unless you are strength- 
ened with might by the Spirit in the inner man? You may spread 
your sails, but he must fill them. What, would you grieve your Pre- 
server, and be left to contend by yourself against your enemies? Are 
you a match for the powers of darkness, and the devices of Satan? The 
first temptation that assaults you alone, may occasion your sinning and 
falling ; and by this you may cause the way of truth to be evil spoken 
of, ministers to be discouraged, your fellow- Christians to be distressed, 
that which is lame to be turned out of the way, while your sin would 
be ever before you. What, would you grieve your Comforter, and lose 
your hold of the promises, and be unable to discern your evidences of 
heaven, and feel your hope decline and your heart sink in the day of 
adversity ; and be in bondage through fear of death, and groan, " Oh 
that it were with me as in months past, when the candle of the Lord 
shined upon my head ; and when by his light I walked through dark- 
ness, and while as yet the Almighty was with me !" 

The comforts of the Holy Spirit can afford such strong consolation, 
as will revive us in the midst of trouble. According to the Saviour's 
assurance when leaving this world, his being with us can more than 
make up for the loss of his bodily presence. But " when he hideth his 
face, who then can behold him?" Yain then are friends, ministers, 
ordinances. " For these things," saith the church, " I weep ; mine eye 
runneth down with water, because the Comforter that should relieve 
my soul is far from me." What infatuation to grieve him ! 

Yet if there were no danger of this, the admonition would not have 
been given. Let me not be high-minded, but fear. "Blessed is the man 



246 MORNING EXERCISES. 

that fearetli always." I have always at hand an active adversary, the 
devil. I am passing through a world lying in wickedness. I carry 
within me an evil heart of unbelief. Every thing without is rendered 
dangerous by the sin that dwelleth in me. They who far surpass me in 
every thing have been overcome. Let me therefore watch and pray. 
" Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe." 

Nor let me be satisfied with negative religion. Let it not, my 
soul, be enough that I grieve him not. Let me cherish all his motions. 
Let me walk so as to please him. Let me abound therein more and 
more. 



MAY 26. 



"Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the utter- 
most parts of the earth for thy possession." Psa. 2 :8. 

"The heathen" — "the uttermost parts of the earth," viewed in the 
representations of Scripture, and the reports of historians, travellers, 
and missionaries, seem a very unenviable acquisition. If it be true that 
the whole world lieth in wickedness, it seems fitter to be for the inheri- 
tance " and the possession " of Satan, than the Son of God. But two 
things are to be taken into the account. Notwithstanding the present 
condition of the estate, it contains very valuable and convertible ma- 
terials. 

Every human being, however depraved and degraded, is a creature 
of God. He is the work of his hands, and is fearfully and wonderfully 
made. He has a soul of more value than the material world. The 
child of a savage is a richer production than the sun. The sun sees 
not his own light, feels not his own heat, and with all his grandeur, is 
doomed to perish. But that child is the subject of reason, the heir of 
immortality. That child is capable of knowing and serving and 
resembling God, and of filling a sphere of everlasting action and enjoy- 
ment. That child will hear the heavens passing away with a great 
noise, and see the elements melting with fervent heat, and stand with 
all the dead, small and great, before God. 

And we are also to consider what they may, and will become. Thus 
the Saviour viewed them, when they were surrendered to him. He 
pitied them • and he knew he was able to bless them, and he knew that 
they would not remain what they were ; but that for him the wilderness 
and solitary place should be made glad, and the desert rejoice and 
blossom as the rose. He knew it had been said, by faithfulness and 
truth, " Ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace ; the 
mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and 
all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn 
shall come up the fir-tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the 
myrtle-tree ; and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting 
sign, that shall not be cut off." The more desperate the condition of 
the patient, the more pleasure does his recovery afford the physician ; 



MAY 26. 247 

and the more does it display his skill and ability. So here. All these 
captives the Redeemer ransoms, and each of them, as a justified, sanc- 
tified, glorified being, will for ever reflect his honor. He found them 
at hell's dark door, but he raises them above the heavens. He found 
them in the likeness of the devil, and he adorns them with the image 
of God. He found them the disgrace of the universe, and he makes 
them an eternal excellence, the joy of many generations. 

What is so interesting and delightful to a man of taste as alteration 
and improvement ? With what pleasure does he view a piece of rude 
and barren soil, under his cultivation, looking forth, dressed in living 
green, and abounding with trees and flowers ! What pleasure does a 
benevolent mind feel, when he views the child he has taken up exchang- 
ing rags for decency, ignorance for knowledge, vicious and idle habits 
for virtue and industry ; and contemplates his comfort, usefulness, and 
respectability as the fruit of his kindness and labor! What satisfac- 
tion must the Saviour feel to behold, as the effect of his cross and his 
grace, the renewal of human nature, the deliverance of province after 
province from the power of Satan, and the kingdoms of this world com- 
ing under the influence of the gospel ! What an inheritance, what a 
possession will the heathen and the uttermost parts of the earth be to 
the Messiah, when Paganism, and Mahomedanism, and the man of sin 
shall perish ; 'when the Jews shall come in, with the fulness of the 
Gentiles ; when in every place incense shall be offered unto him, and 
a pure offering ; when the nations shall learn war no more ; when the 
people shall be all holy, trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, 
that he may be glorified ! 

We read of two vast gifts of God in the Scripture ; the gift of his 
Son to the world, and the gift of the world to his Son. The first of 
these is the greatest, and we ought never to think of it without exclaim- 
ing, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!" But let us think 
of the other also ; and rejoice that our earth is to come under the 
dominion of the Messiah, and is given to him for this purpose. It is 
thus to him, as Canaan was to the Jews. Canaan was to them the land 
of promise, and God having promised it, in vain was every attempt 
made to keep them from obtaining it. Egypt was plagued, Pharaoh and 
his army were destroyed, the sea opened a passage for the heirs of 
promise, Jordan was driven back, and they were brought in triumph to 
the rest and the inheritance which the Lord their God had given them. 
So will it be here. All opposition will be as vain as it is unreasonable. 
His enemies shall lick the dust. The word is gone out of God's mouth, 
and shall not return, that to him every knee shall bow, and every tongue 
confess. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, until He shall come whose 
right it is, and I will give it him. 

Let us think of his prospects. We have sympathized with him in 
his agony and bloody sweat, in his cross and passion. Let us exult at 
the thought that he is crowned with glory and honor ; and has the 
heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for 






248 MORNING EXERCISES. 

his possession. And what an immensity of subjects will he derive from 
them ; and what an infinity of services ; and what an eternity of 
praises and delights ! It was the joy set before him ; and " He shall see 
of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied." 

We ought also to rejoice from a principle of benevolence. His 
dominion involves the happiness of the human race. Nebuchadnezzar 
and other conquerors had nations given into their hand, but they only 
enslaved and impoverished and cursed their subjects. But, 
" Blessings abound where'er He reigns : 

The pris'ner leaps to lose his chains ; 

The weary find eternal rest ; 

And all the sons of want are blessed." 



MAY 27. 
" The dumb spake." Matt. 9 : 33. 

This was a natural dumbness, the cure of which was to be one of 
the miracles attending the Messiah's advent : " Then the eyes of the 
blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped ; 
then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb 
sing." 

But there is a moral dumbness, and the Saviour heals this when he 
makes us new creatures. Then old things pass away, and all things 
become new — not physically new, but spiritually new, each faculty be- 
coming new in quality, application, and use. Thus the man has a 
tongue before, but not a religious one. He speaks before ; but now 
his speech is with grace. Now he speaks of God, for God, and to God. 

He speaks of God ; of his perfections ; of his designs ; of his works 
and ways ; of his word j of his commands and promises — a theme for 
angels. 

He speaks for God : " On his behalf," as Elihu says; in defending 
his truth ; in justifying his people ; in recommending his service ; in 
pleading his cause. Wisdom is necessary here, and we are to distin- 
guish between places and seasons and characters. " A word fitly spoken, 
how good is it ! It is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Yet 
caution, though it should qualify our zeal, should not quench it. We 
should be courageous as well as discreet : 

"And if some proper hour appear, 
I '11 not be overawed ; 
But let the scoffing sinner hear, 
That I can speak for God." 

He speaks to God. And this is the best evidence of our sincerity. 
For many speak of God, and many for him, who never speak to him. 
While the world hears them, and the temple hears them, silence reigns 
in the closet. But the Christian's delight is in God ; and the duties 
and exigencies of his spiritual condition will bring him often to His 
seat, and he will address him much in a way of adoration and confes- 
sion, and intercession and prayer. 



MAY 28. 249 

If you are the subject of this grace, use it, aud be concerned that the 
words of your mouth, as well as the meditation of your heart, may be 
acceptable in God's sight. Beware of any return of the old malady. 
There is an occasional, partial, comparative dumbness, and it is brought 
on by sin. This stops our speech. It did so in the case of David, when 
he had fallen by his iniquity. It not only broke his bones, and deprived 
him of joy, but of confidence, and filled him with fear and silence. He 
could neither speak, as he had done, of God, or for God, or to God. 
It is a sad evil ; and if it be your experience, do — it is the best thing 
you can do — do as he did. Take the case, and lay it before God, and 
say, " Open thou my mouth, and my lips shall show forth thy praise." 



MAY 28. 



"Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 
2 Pet. 3:18. 

If we consider these words as containing two injunctions, may we 
not view the second as prescribing the means for the accomplishment of 
the first ? It is certain that there is a supreme excellency in the know- 
ledge here recommended, and that he who would grow in grace, must 
grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

This knowledge is supposed to be progressive. It was gradual even 
in its communication to the world. Judaism was the dawn, Christianity 
the day. Prophets and righteous men desired to see the things that we 
see, and did not see them ; and to hear the things that we hear, and did 
not hear them. There are degrees also in its personal attainment and 
experience. Four ways we may grow in this knowledge. 

First, in its extent. Who has advanced near the extremities of this 
field ? How little do the wisest know of the treasures hid in it ! 

" The cross, the manger, and the throne, 
Are big with glories yet unknown." 

Angels know much more than they once did. But they still desire to 
look into these things. How much more should we ! 

Secondly, in its certainty. This is and must be the same in itself; 
but as to us, the degree of it depends upon the perception of evidence, 
and the mind may be led along from possibility to probability, and from 
probability to full conviction. The firmness of belief may be strength- 
ened by the confirmations of experience. The whole life of a Christian 
is a series of tests, by which he tries and proves the word of God. He 
is therefore perpetually increasing in the full assurance of understand- 
ing, and has his heart established with grace. 

Thirdly, in its influence. This implies the former, but is distinguish- 
able from it. There cannot be practical knowledge without specula- 
tive. But who will not own that there may be speculative knowledge 
without practical ? Who is ignorant of the difference there is between 
knowing things in theory and in experience j between the apprehen- 



250 MORNING EXERCISES. 

sions of the judgment, and the bias of the will, and the glow of the 
affections? Who feels and fears and loves according to his belief? 
Alas, how often do we see and approve better things, and follow worse! 
How often are the clearest dictates of the understanding, and even con- 
victions of the conscience, counteracted by our appetites and passions ! 
We believe that we are dying creatures, and live as if we were to live 
here always. We own ourselves under the providence of Him who 
doth all things well, and we murmur and repine as if his dealings were 
unjust or unkind. We doubt not the Saviour's power and love, and yet 
we cannot trust in him, and are strangers to consolation and peace. 

Fourthly, in its appropriation. Job could say, "I know that my 
Redeemer liveth." David said, " God is the strength of my heart, and 
my portion for ever." The first Christians said, " We know that the 
Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may 
know Him that is true ; and we are in him that is true." Who does 
not want more of this delightful confidence, to raise him above the 
world, to support him in his trials, to embolden him in his profession, 
and to enable him to triumph over the fears of death? 

God, preserve me from delusion in a business of everlasting im- 
portance ! Let me feel a thousand terrors, rather than perish with a 
lie in my right hand. But if I am thine, save me from the uncertain- 
ties I now feel. Give me the full assurance of hope unto the end. Let 
me know not only that there are exceeding great and precious prom- 
ises, but that I am an heir of promise ; not only that in the Lord Jesus 
all fulness dwells, but that I am blessed with all spiritual blessings in 
heavenly places in him. " Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation." 



MAY 29. 

"Ye are the children of the Lord your God." Deut. 14 : 1. 

The Jews were so by nation. All men are so by creation and prov- 
idence. Christians are so by special grace, according to the language 
of Inspiration : " Ye are all the children of God, by faith in Christ 
Jesus." " As many as received him, to them gave he power to become 
the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name ; which were 
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, 
but of God." Let us make this relation a standard by which to esti- 
mate four things. 

First, the divine goodness. Here we only follow the example of the 
apostle John. He, even he could not comprehend it, but he admires it, 
and calls upon others to admire it with him : " Behold what manner of 
love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the 
sons of God !" What manner of love — how rich, how free, how expen- 
sive ! What difficulties stood in the way ! Yet he removed them. How, 
said he, shall I put thee among the children ? But he did it. He not 
only spared and pardoned us ; he not only admitted us in his family as 
servants, but as sons ; and for this purpose he gave his own Son for us, 



MAY 29. 251 

and his Spirit to us. " When the fulness of time was come, God sent 
forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them 
that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into 
your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a ser- 
vant, but a son ; and if a son, then an heir of God, through Christ." 

Secondly, the believer's dignity. Secular nobility derives all its 
lustre from flesh and blood, and if retraced, will be found to originate 
in the dust of the ground, from which Adam was taken. It has little 
value, unless in the fancies of men. But our relation to God confers 
real and durable honor ; compared with which, the most magnificent 
titles in the world are mere shadows and smoke. How did the Jews 
boast of having Abraham to their father ! " Is it a light thing," said 
David, a subject, "that I should be son-in-law to- the king?" But I 
think of the majesty and dominion of God. The world is his, and the 
fulness thereof. I behold the productions of the earth, and the won- 
ders of the skies, and say, 

" My Father made them all I" 

Thirdly, the happiness of the Christian. The relation has connected 
with it the promise of pardon ; and we daily need it, for in many things 
we offend all. But I will spare him, says God, as a man spareth his 
own son that serveth him. It gives us free access to God in prayer, 
and inspires us with confidence and hope of success. " If ye, being evil, 
know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall 
your Father which is iii heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask 
him ?" Hence correction : " For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, 
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." Hence education : he 
does not leave the child to himself, but trains him up in the way that 
he should go. Hence provision : He who feeds the ravens will not 
suffer the righteous to famish. Their heavenly Father knoweth what 
things they have need of before they ask him, and will suffer them to 
want no good thing. And " if children, then heirs ; heirs of God, and 
joint-heirs with Christ." Many are born to an estate which they never 
obtain ; but here the inheritance is reserved in heaven, and they are 
" kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation," on earth. 

Fourthly, the duty of the saints. Are they all the children of the 
Lord their God? Then they ought to fear him. If I am a father, 
where is my fear ? This will keep them from offending him. This will 
make them studious to please him. This will induce them to pray, "Let 
the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable 
in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." 

As his children, they must walk worthy of God, who hath called 
them unto his kingdom and glory. We have read of a Polish prince 
who carried the picture of his father always in his bosom, and on any 
particular occasion he would take it out and view it, and say, Let me 
do nothing unbecoming so excellent a father. Christians, do nothing 



252 MORXING EXERCISES. 

unbecoming the rank of jour family, and the grandeur of your descent. 
"Be harmless and blameless, the sons of God, without rebuke." " Be 
followers of God, as dear children." "Be ye perfect, even as your 
Father who is in heaven is perfect." 



MAY 30. 

"Ask of mJ' Psa. 2:8. 

This is the condition of a very important grant. Ask of me, and I 
shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost 
parts of the earth for thy possession. 

Whatever appears humiliating in the condition to which the Saviour 
submitted, let it be remembered that he entered it voluntarily and 
knowingly. He was aware that if the children were partakers of flesh 
and blood, he likewise himself must also take part in the same, and that 
in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren. He 
must therefore not only suffer, but obey ; and though he was a Son, yet 
learned he obedience. He must therefore pray. Prayer is the act of 
an inferior nature, and the Word was made flesh. Though rich, he 
became poor, and made himself of no reputation. 

Many objections are made to prayer. Some of them are specious, 
but they are all founded in ignorance. The best way to answer them 
is to take our stand on the Scripture, and make our appeal. Does not 
God derive his character and glory from his hearing prayer ? Is not 
his Spirit the Spirit of grace and supplication ? Is not this his com- 
mand, is not this his promise, " Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, 
and ye shall find?" Does He dispense with this, even in the case of 
his own Son? And can it be dispensable with regard to us?- We 
know his determination. For all these things I will yet be inquired 
of by the house of Israel to do it for them. " Ask, and I shall give 
thee." 

But how was he to ask ? First, when he was on earth, he prayed 
like one of us. He prayed alone, and in company with his disciples ; 
he prayed in the wilderness, and in the garden, and on the cross : " In 
the days of his flesh, he offered up prayers and supplications, with 
strong crying and tears, unto him that was able to save him from death, 
and was heard in that he feared." Secondly, he continued the presen- 
tation of his desire when he entered heaven. We know not whether 
this was done vocally, but it was done really. Thirdly, he does it rel- 
atively. Thus prayer is made for him continually. And whenever 
individuals, ministers, and churches pray for the success of his cause, 
He is asking. 

And his prayer and our praying are founded on the same consider- 
ation, his sufferings and death. It was said, that when the Father 
should make his soul an offering for sin, he should see his seed, and 
prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his 
hands ; he should see of the travail of his soul, and should be satisfied. 



MAY 31. 253 

This was the joy set before him ; and having fulfilled the awful condi- 
tion on which it was suspended, he pleads for it. He therefore asks in 
his oi07i name, and on his own behalf. And we ask on the same behalf, 
and in the same name ; according to his own direction : " Whatsoever 
ye shall ask, believing, in my name, ye shall receive." 

And this should encourage and embolden us. There can be no more 
uncertainty attending the success of our asking than of his, for herein 
we are identified with him. There is no unfaithfulness with God ; and 
he hath said, " Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine 
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." 

If our prayers are sincere, they must be influential, and we shall 
exert ourselves in the Redeemer's cause*. Nor can we labor in vain. 
We are on the sure, the rising, the prevailing side. Merchants, heroes, 
politicians, may all weary themselves for very vanity. We are at a 
certainty. A King shall reign and prosper. "His name shall endure 
for ever ; his name shall be continued as long as the sun ; and men 
shall be blessed in him ; all nations shall call him blessed. Blessed be 
the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. 
And blessed be his glorious name for ever ; and let the whole earth be 
filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen." 



MAY 31. 



" And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and 
brake, and gave to them." Luke 24 : 30. 

This was not a sacramental meal, as when he took bread, and blessed 
it, and brake it, and said, This is my body ; neither was it a miraculous 
meal, as when he took the loaves, and blessed them, and multiplied 
them ; but an ordinary meal ; yet he blessed the food. And this he did 
always ; and his example has the force of a law with all his followers. 
For, " he that saith he abideth in Him, ought himself also so to walk 
even as he walked." Hence the command, " Whatsoever ye do, in word 
or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus;" that is, as his disciples, 
who are not only to believe in him, but to represent him. 

From his observing this practice, we may be sure that it is wise and 
useful and necessary. Sin has brought a curse upon all our enjoyments, 
and the blessing of God alone can take it off. 

" How sweet our daily comforts prove, 
When they are seasoned with His love I" 

But how true, 

" T is all in vain till God has blessed." 

" Man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth 
out of the mouth of God." Can he also abuse the bounties of Provi- 
dence who has implored the divine benediction upon the use of them ? 
Can he indulge in excess ? Will he not add to his faith temperance ? 
It is lamentable, therefore, that such a duty should ever be omitted, or 



254 MORNING EXERCISES. 

performed with haste and irreverence, as if the performer was ashamed 
of the performance. 

Let the Saviour's conduct also teach us not to confine our religion 
to extraordinary and sacred occasions. In all our ways let us acknow- 
ledge God. Morning and evening worship is good, but let us be in the 
fear of the Lord all the day long. It is well to inquire in his temple, 
but let us abide with God in our calling. We must remember the Sab- 
bath, and keep it holy ; but the spirit of devotion is to actuate us dur- 
ing the week, and to induce us, " whether we eat or drink, or whatever 
we do, to do all to the glory of God," Tell me not what a man is in a 
storm ; in the calm what is he ? Not how he behaves himself in sick- 
ness, but in health. A Balaam may pray, "Let me die the death of the 
righteous. " A David prays, " Unite my heart to fear thy name." There 
is a goodness which depends upon impulse, not principle ; upon outward 
excitement, not upon internal disposition. 

There is a devotion that resembles the blaze of straw ; but that 
which is spiritual is like the fire on the Jewish altar, kindled from 
above, and which never went out. It is a stream fed by a living foun- 
tain, not a sudden torrent, however wide or impetuous at the time, pro- 
duced by the melting of the snow, or a summer's thunder-shower. "The 
water," says the Saviour, " that I shall give him, shall be in him a well 
of water springing up into everlasting life;" 



JUNE 1. 

" I am the vine." John 15:5. 

Ministers are not to preach themselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord. 
But he was his own subject ; He preached himself. How could he have 
done otherwise, concerned as he was to be useful? For, 

" None but Jesus, none but Jesus 
Can do helpless sinners good." 

And he knew this far better than we do. And who was able to declare 
what he truly was, so well as himself? 

Here he calls himself the vine, a very easy and natural image ; and 
natural images are the most preferable in divine things. Many writers 
and preachers love those allusions which show their learning, and which 
the uneducated cannot understand. Our Saviour never takes his com- 
parisons from the sciences, and seldom from the arts, but from natural 
scenery, which is obvious and intelligible to all. 

A vine is not so remarkable in its appearance as many other trees. 
In loftiness, it yields to the cedar ; in strength, to the oak ; in sightliness, 
to the palm-tree and the fir. The greatness of Jesus was spiritual. He 
had no earthly pomp and riches. Like his kingdom, he was not of this 
world. Hence it was said, " He shall grow up before him as a tender 
plant, and as a root out of a dry ground : he hath no form nor comeli* 



JUNE 1. 255 

ness ; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should 
desire him." 

The vine is renowned for its fertility. One single vine, planted by 
the empress Lavinia, yielded one hundred and eight gallons of wine in 
one year. Many grapes grow on one cluster, many clusters on one 
branch, and many branches on one tree. How many have been saved 
by the Lord Jesus ! In him all fulness dwells. In him we are blessed 
with all spiritual blessings. What clusters were brought from Eshcol, 
to show Israel the goodliness and fruitfulness of Canaan ! And what 
specimens of heaven, what earnests of the inheritance, what first-fruits 
of the Spirit, do faith and hope bring believers from him, even while 
they are in the wilderness ! 

The nature of the produce of the vine is delightful and profitable. 
The fruit is sweet to the taste. The juice it yields cheers and makes 
glad the heart of man. Give wine to those that be of heavy hearts. It 
was sometimes used medicinally. The good Samaritan poured oil and 
wine into the wounds of the bleeding traveller. And he brings us 
health and cure, and comfort and delight, and more than angels' food ; 

for 

"Never did angels taste above 
Redeeming grace and dying love." 

The vine also yields shade, and it was valued for this purpose in the 
East. Hence we so often read in the Scripture of sitting under the 
vine and the fig-tree. They had walks and bowers made of these ; and 
while the fruit refreshed them, the shelter screened them from the sun. 
And he is a shadow from the heat, and rescues us from the evil of every 
annoyance to which we are exposed. I sat, says the church, under his 
shadow with delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. 

The image, therefore, is pleasing and striking, and aids us in our 
conception of him and communion with him. Yet it teaches us as much 
by contrast as by comparison. A vine is not always green. It does 
not always bear. It never bears twelve manner of fruits. It does not 
endure for ever. But all this is true of him. 

The fruit of the vine, if taken too largely, will injure the partaker ; 
but there is no danger here : while we are forbidden to be drunk with 
wine, wherein is excess, we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit. 
The produce of the vine is only for the body, and for time ; but his ben- 
efits are for the soul and eternity. Many cannot obtain the advantages 
of the vine ; but none, however poor and mean, are excluded from the 
participations of Christ. The image, therefore, is but a humble one, 
and falls far short of his glory. So does every thing that is employed 
to show forth his worth, his glory, or his grace. 

" Nor earth, nor seas, nor sun, nor stars, 
Nor heaven, his full resemblance bears : 
His beauties we can never trace 
Till we behold him face to face." 



256 MORNING EXERCISES. 

JUNE 2. 
" Te are the branches." John 15:5. 

For whatever He is, they have a relation corresponding with it. 
Thus, if he is the king, they are the subjects. If he is the shepherd, 
they are the sheep. If he is the head, they are the members. There- 
fore having said to his disciples, I am the vine, he adds, Ye are the 
branches. 

This reminds us of their union with him. The vine and the branches 
are connected. The latter are even parts of the former • and it would 
be absurd for a person to say, I did not hurt the vine, I only injured 
the branches. Why persecutest thou me? said the Saviour to Saul, 
who was only persecuting his followers. He that touches them, touches 
the apple of his eye. And as he is sensible of their wrongs, so he feels 
every kindness shown them, and says, " Inasmuch as ye did it unto one 
of the least of these my brethren, ye did it unto me." 

This gives them a character of likeness. The branches are the very 
same kind of wood as the vine, and the very same sap pervades them 
both. And they that are joined to the Lord are of one spirit. The 
same mind is in them which was also in Christ Jesus. 

This shows their dependence. " The righteous shall flourish as a 
branch ;" but the branch does not bear the tree, but the tree the branch. 
Whatever likeness there may be, in all things he has the preeminence. 
He is our life and strength. "Abide," says he, " in me : as the branch 
cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, 
except ye abide in me ; for without me ye can do nothing." 

This proclaims their usefulness. The branches are the beauty and 
excellency of the vine, and by these its vigor and fertility are displayed. 
He is glorified in his people. He makes them to blossom and yield 
fruit. He diffuses his goodness through their prayers and lives. In 
him is their fruit found, as to its source and support ; but they bear it — 
they are the branches — they are filled with all the fruits of righteous- 
ness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. 

Let me learn one thing from all this. Let me accustom myself to 
derive spiritual reflections from all the material objects around me. A 
taste for natural scenery is pleasing and good in itself. But let me not 
approach it as a creature, only to enjoy, or as a philosopher, only to 
admire, but as a Christian also, to improve. Let sense be a handmaid 
to faith. Let that which is seen and temporal raise me to that which 
is unseen and eternal. 



JUNE 3. 

" Which is our hope." 1 Tim. 1 : 1. 

Much has been said in praise of hope. It has been called the main- 
spring of motion, the soul of enterprise, the balm of life, the soother of 
care, and the healer of sorrow. 



JUNE 3. 257 

We are not, however, going to speak of hope in general. We 
therefore say nothing of the hope of the worldling, which is a thing of 
naught ; or of the hope of the infidel, which is annihilation ; or of the 
hope of the Antinomian, which is a devil's dream ; or of the hope of 
the Pharisee, which is a spider's web ; or of the hope of the hypocrite, 
which is a lie in his right hand ; but of our hope, as Christians. And 
what is this? Jesus Christ, says the apostle; Ae"is our hope." He 
deserves and realizes the character four ways. He is our hope sub- 
stantially, meritoriously, efficiently, and exemplarily. 

He is the object of our hope. " There be many that say, Who will 
show us any good ?" But any good will not answer the wishes of a be- 
liever. His supreme aim is the principal, the only good. It is to win 
Christ, to be found in him, and in him to be blessed with all spiritual 
blessings. The Christian's hope is chiefly laid up for him in heaven. 
And is not He the essence of all the blessedness there ? The place is 
glorious, but what would it be without his presence ? The company is 
attractive, but what would friends and saints and angels be without 
communion with him? We sometimes hear it said, "Well, we are 
hoping for the same heaven." But nothing can be more false. A nat- 
ural man is hoping for one kind of heaven, a spiritual man for another ; 
and each herein follows his peculiar disposition. I cannot hope for 
what I do not love and desire. As a man, I may hope for a heaven that 
shall secure me from hell, and exempt me from all toil and trouble, and 
furnish me with things in which I feel pleasure. But it is only as a 
Christian, I can long to depart to be with Christ, which is far better. 

He is the ground of our hope. In proportion to the use and gran- 
deur of a building should be the basis. Nothing can equal the vastness 
and value of the believer's expectation. If we are wise, therefore, we 
shall inquire what is to bear it up. And no other foundation can any 
man lay than that is laid, which is Christ. Every thing else we depend 
upon will prove sand. But here is rock, and he that believeth on him 
shall not be ashamed. View him as incarnate. Why is not our condi- 
tion as hopeless as that of devils ? Yerily he took not on him the na- 
ture of angels,but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Because the 
children were partakers of flesh and blood, he likewise himself also took 
part of the same. He assumed the nature'he would save, and he will 
save as surely as he assumed it. View him as the gift of God. God so 
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son. What can discour- 
age us now ? If our unworthiness, or the greatness of the blessing could 
prove a hinderance to the divine goodness, it would have operated ear- 
lier, and he would have withholden from the guilty this unspeakable 
gift. " He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us 
all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things ?" But his 
goodness is wise goodness, just goodness. It must be as honorable to 
himself as it is beneficial to us ; and we behold his Son set forth as a 
propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness. 
Sin is punished while it is pardoned. Even the law has nothing to 

Morn. Exer. 1 *\ 



258 MORNING EXERCISES. 

complain of in our deliverance ; it is much more glorified in our salva- 
tion than it would have been by our destruction. One died for all ; and 
he was infinitely more than all. Do we question whether he finished 
the work that was given him to do ; and whether it was an offering and 
a sacrifice to God of a sweet-smelling savor ; and whether he shall sec 
of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied? Behold him discharged 
from the grave, and ascending up on high, and receiving gifts for men, 
even for the rebellious, and entering into the holy place, there to appear 
in the presence of God for us. What can we desire more? If, while 
we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, 
much more now, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. " Who 
is he that condemneth ? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen 
again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh interces- 
sion for us." Will not this suffice? He raised him up from the dead, 
and gave him glory, that our faith and hope might be in God. 

He is the author of our hope. For it is not natural to us, neither is 
it derived from ourselves, but he produces it in us by his Holy Spirit. 
Means must be used, but the excellency of the power is of him, and not 
of them. Hence, says the apostle to those who were glorying in men, 
" Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye be- 
lieved, even as the Lord gave to every man ?" Every thing in the new 
world is done by the Spirit of Christ. Under a conviction of guilt 
enough to condemn us a thousand times over, did we find it an easy 
thing to hope in God at first, and believe that he was pacified towards 
us for all that we had done, and that we were accepted in the Beloved ? 
Have we proved it an easy thing since to keep this hope lively and 
flourishing, or even to maintain it at all ? How often should we have 
said, My hope is perished from the Lord, and have given up all our pro- 
fession, but for " the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ," in glorifying 
him afresh ; according to the promise, " He shall receive of mine, and 
shall show it unto you." 

He is also the model of our hope. For though he is unspeakably 
more than our example, he is nothing less; and the higher views we 
have taken of him do not hinder, but indeed the more require our say- 
ing, that the same mind which was in him must be in us ; that we must 
walk even as he walked ; that we must pray as he prayed, fear as he 
feared, and hope as he hoped. And how did he hope ? " I will," said 
he, "put my trust in Him." It was not to quote prophecy that his 
insulters, when he was on the cross, said, " He trusted in God ; let him 
deliver him now, if he will have him ; for he said, I am the Son of God." 
It was to reproach him for the confidence in God which they knew he 
had professed to exercise. It will be well, if our enemies can revile us 
for nothing worse. David seems early to have been dedicated to God, 
but it was in the name of the holy child Jesus he spoke, when he said, 
" Thou art he that took me out of the womb ; thou didst make me hope 
when I was upon my mother's breast. I was cast upon thee from the 
womb • thou art my God from my mother's belly." From his earliest 



JUNE 4. 259 

infancy, from the first exercise of reason he honored him. Nor did he 
ever fail in his confidence in God. In every extremity he trusted in 
him. Even when in anguish on the cross and dying, he cried, "My God, 
my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" "Father, into thy hands I com- 
mit my spirit." His confidence, also, was equally cheerful. He sung 
a hymn when he was entering the garden of Gethsemane. Though a 
man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, instead of murmuring he 
said, " In the midst of the church will I sing praises unto thee." Thus 
may I bear the image of the heavenly, till he shall appear and I shall 
be perfectly like him ; for I shall see him as he is. 



JUNE 4. 

"The woman then left her water-pot." John 4:28. 

Three reasons may be assigned for this. 

Perhaps she left it from kindness to our Saviour and his disciples. 
His disciples had gone into the city to buy meat, and had just returned ; 
and they were now going to partake of their homely fare. But for 
beverage they had nothing to draw with, and the well was deep. She 
therefore leaves them her vessel, to enable them to draw and drink. 
Female kindness and contrivance and accommodation are as quick as 
thought, and never need a prompter. I admire the simplicity of early 
hospitality. See Rebekah with Abraham's steward: "And she said, 
Drink, my Lord ; and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her 
hand, and gave him to drink." Ah, ye generous hearts, who wish to 
do good, and feel your want of power, do what you can. And remem- 
ber the Saviour's words : " Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of 
these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, 
verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." 

Perhaps she left it from indifference. She was now so impressed 
and occupied with infinitely greater and better things, that she forgets 
the very errand that brought her to the well. The feelings of new con- 
verts are peculiarly strong and lively. The eternal realities and glories 
that open to their view dazzle their minds, and render them incapable 
of distinctly observing other objects. Considering the infirmity of our 
nature, it is not to be wondered at if the powers of the world to come, 
and the " one thing needful," the care of the soul, should for the time 
engross all their attention, and make them too heedless of other claims. 

Hence what we should censure in others, we excuse in young begin- 
ners, especially if they are suddenly awakened. I say excuse, for we 
never wish to justify ignorance, imprudence, and rashness. God is not 
the God of confusion : " Let every thing," says the apostle, " be done 
decently, and in order." Religion is not to draw us off from our busi- 
ness and callings. Neither are we to leave our places and stations in 
life, even in pursuit of things good in themselves. When the demoniac 
had been dispossessed, he besought the Saviour that he might be with 
him. Yet " Jesus suffered him not ;" but said. Return to thine own 



260 MORNING EXERCISES. 

house, and show how great things God hath done for thee. And says 
Paul to the Thessalonians, " Study to be quiet, and to do your own busi- 
ness, and to work with your own hands ;" to provide things honest in 
the sight of all men; to maintain your families without dependence, 
and have to give to him that needeth ; and to preserve your religion 
from censure. We are not, therefore, to abandon our water-pots. We 
are not to be careless of our worldly substance, but to preserve and use 
it. Witness the cautions in Scripture against suretyship, and backing 
bills, and the admonition, " Gather up the fragments that remain, that 
nothing be lost." Yet those who are born from above, and bound for 
glory, are only strangers and pilgrims upon earth ; and they who have 
found the pearl of great price, will not and cannot feel towards worldly 
things as they once did. They cannot be so anxious to gain them, so 
overjoyed in possessing them, so depressed in losing them. And they 
will be willing to forsake whatever the service of God requires them to 
part with, however dear or valuable. Thus Matthew, sitting at the 
receipt of custom, upon hearing the call, " Follow me," " arose and fol- 
lowed him." 

Perhaps she left it, as it would have proved a hinder ance to her 
speed. The King's business requires haste. In this she was now 
engaged, and burning with zeal, she could not bear the thought of los- 
ing a moment in communicating the knowledge she possessed ; and of 
saying to her neighbors, Come, see a man which told me all things that 
ever I did ; is not this the Christ ? She knew the importance of the 
case. And she knew the brevity and uncertainty of the opportunity. 
It was not the gratification of their curiosity — it was their life. And 
if he withdrew from the well before they arrived, the day of their visi- 
tation might never return. 

Upon the same principles, let us get rid of every impediment, and 
avoid every delay, not only in gaining good for ourselves, but in doing 
good to others. All is pending upon the moment. "Whatsoever thy 
hand findeth to do, do it with thy might. There is no work, nor 
device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest." 



JUNE 5. 

"Be thou their arm every morning." Isa. 33 : 2. 

This is a prayer for others. And when we repair to the throne of 
the heavenly grace, we should never forget our fellow- Christians. Yet 
those will never pray earnestly, or even sincerely, for others, who do 
not pray for themselves. Every believer therefore includes himself in 
the number of those for whom he implores the blessing, " Be thou their 
arm every morning." 

He is made sensible of his own weakness and insufficiency. He 
knows, he feels, and he increasingly knows and feels his need of an 
arm, a divine arm, every morning. 

For what purpose? 



JUNE 6. 261 

He needs this arm to defend him in all his dangers, and to keep him 
from all evil, especially the evil of sin, that it may not grieve him. 

He needs this arm to uphold him under his burdens. The pressure 
often urges him to exclaim, " Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me." 

He needs this arm to lean on, in all his goings. What a journey 
lies before him ! And what step can he take alone ? This is the image 
of the church. She is represented as coming up out of the wilderness, 
leaning on her Beloved. 

And as this arm is necessary, so it is sufficient ; and it is kindly held 
out in the promises and invitations of the word. " There," says God, 
" let him take hold of my strength." And we take hold of it by faith 
and prayer. 

Let me then avail myself of the privilege. Be thou my arm every 
morning. Let me lean, and converse with thee. Let me lean, and feel 
thee at my side. Let me lean, and go forward without dismay or dis- 
couragement. " Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth ; my flesh also shall 
rest in hope. For thou wilt not suffer thy Holy One to see corrup- 
tion. Thou wilt show me the path of life ; in thy presence is fulness of 
joy ; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore." 



JUNE 6. 

" And walk humbly with thy God." Micah 6:8. 

Why not joyfully ? There is a foundation laid for this. It is their 
privilege, and it is said they shall sing in the ways of the Lord. This 
is not, however, absolutely necessary. In a sense, Christians may go 
on without it. We have known much self-denial, and deadness to the 
world, and spirituality of devotion, and zeal for the glory of God and 
the welfare of others, in persons who may be said to be saved by hope 
rather than confidence. But with regard to humbleness of mind, this 
is indispensable — always, and in every thing, and no progress can be 
made without it. So that when Luther was asked what was the first 
step in religion, he replied, Humility ; and when asked what was the 
second, and the third, answered in the same way. And Peter admon- 
ishes Christians to be clothed with humility ; as if he would say, This 
is to cover, to defend, to distinguish, to adorn all. But how is our 
walking humbly with God to appear ? 

It is to appear in connection with divine truth. Here God is our 
teacher ; and if as learners we walk humbly with him, we shall cast 
down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the 
knowledge of Christ ; we shall sacrifice the pride of reason, and hav- 
ing ascertained that the Scriptures are the word of God, and discovered 
what they really contain, we shall not speculate upon their principles, 
but admit them on the divine authority. Nothing can be more proud 
and vain than to believe no more than we can comprehend, or can make 
appear to be credible in itself. Is not this founding our faith on know- 



262 MORNING EXERCISES. 

ledge, and not on testimony ? Is not this trusting God like a discred- 
ited witness in court, whose deposition is regarded only as it is collat- 
erally supported? Is this honoring his wisdom or veracity? Is this 
receiving with meekness the engrafted word? Is this receiving the 
kingdom of heaven as a little child ? 

It will appear in connection with divine ordinances. Here we walk 
with God as worshippers ; and if we walk humbly with him, we shall 
have grace whereby we may serve him acceptably, with reverence and 
with godly fear. "We have indeed, in Christ, boldness and access with 
confidence ; but it is by the faith of him ; that is, by the confidence of 
one who feels his encouragement derived from a mediator. We may 
come boldly to the throne of grace, but it is to obtain mercy and find 
grace to help us ; the boldness therefore can only be the boldness of the 
indigent and the guilty, who have nothing of their own to plead. We 
approach him as a father ; but if I am a father, says he, where is mine 
honor ? We have heard some address the Supreme Being with such 
levity and freedom as they would not have used to a fellow-creature a 
little above their own level in life. We should keep our feet when we 
go to the house of God. He is in heaven and we upon the earth, there- 
fore our words should be few. 

It will appear in connection with his mercies. Here we walk with 
God as our benefactor ; and if we walk humbly with him, we shall own 
and feel that we have no claim upon God for any thing we possess or 
enjoy. Am I indulged? I am not worthy of the least of all his mer- 
cies. Am I distinguished ? 

"Not more than others I deserve, 
Yet God has given me more." 

Am I successful? I shall not ascribe it to my own skill, or the power 
of my own arm. I shall not sacrifice to my own net, or burn incense 
to my own drag. " The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich, and he 
addeth no sorrow with it." 

It will appear with regard to our trials. Here we walk with God 
as our reprover and corrector ; and if we walk humbly, we shall not 
charge him foolishly ; we shall not arraign his authority, or ask, What 
doest thou? We shall not expose ourselves to the reflection, Thou hast 
smitten them, and they have not grieved. We shall be in subjection to 
the Father of spirits, and live. We shall be dumb and open not our 
mouth, because He does it. Or if we speak, it will be to acknowledge 
that his judgments are right, and that in faithfulness he has afflicted us. 
"I mourn, but I do not murmur. I wonder not that my troubles are 
so heavy, but that they are so light. I more than deserve them all, and 
I need them all. I would not only bear, but kiss the rod. It is the 
Lord ; let him do what seemeth him good." 

It will appear with regard to our conditions. Here we walk with 
God as our disposer and governor ; and if we walk humbly, we shall 
hold ourselves at his control ; we shall be willing that he should choose 



JUNE 6. 263 

our inheritance for us ; we shall not lean to our own understanding, but 
in all our ways acknowledge him. We shall be satisfied with our own 
allotment, and learn in whatsoever state we are, therewith to be con- 
tent. We shall abide in the callings wherein his providence has placed 
us, and not be eager to rise into superior offices, feeling our unfitness for 
them, and fearful of the perils ; saying, "Lord, my heart is not haughty, 
nor mine eyes lofty ; neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in 
things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself as a 
child that is weaned of his mother ; my soul is even as a weaned child." 

It will appear with regard to our qualification and ability for our 
work. Here we walk with God as our helper and strength ; and if we 
walk humbly, we shall be sensible of our insufficiency for all the pur- 
poses of the divine life. We shall feel that we know not what to pray 
for as we ought, unless the Spirit itself helpeth our infirmities ; that the 
preparation of the heart and the answer of the tongue are from the 
Lord ; that with regard to the exercise of every grace and the perform- 
ance of every duty, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it 
abide in the vine, no more can we, except we abide in him, for without 
him we can do nothing. Did Peter walk humbly with him when, even 
after the warning he had received, he leaned on his own resolution for 
superior constancy? Here humility is to fear always, and to pray, 
Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe. 

It will appear with regard to the whole of our recovery. Here we 
walk with God as a Saviour ; and if we walk humbly, we shall not go 
about to establish our own righteousness, but submit ourselves unto the 
righteousness which is of God ; and acknowledge that we have nothing 
to glory in before him. Not by works of righteousness which I have 
done, but according to his mercy he saved me. I look on the rock 
whence I was hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence I was digged. 
How long did he wait for me ! What pains were used in vain to bring 
my heart to him! He was found of me when I sought him not. And 
how little have I attained ! I am still an unprofitable servant. The 
sins of my holy things would condemn me ; I must look only for the 
mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. If I am called, he 
called me by his grace. If I have a good hope, it is a good hope 
through grace. By the grace of God, I am what I am. 

Happy this humble walker with God. " God resisteth the proud, 
but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 ' 

"All joy to the believer! He can speak — 
Trembling, yet happy ; confident, yet meek. 
Since the dear hour that brought me to thy foot, 
And cut up all my follies by the root, 
I never trusted in an arm but thine, 
Nor hoped, but in thy righteousness divine. 
My prayers and alms, imperfect and defiled, 
Were but the feeble efforts of a child ; 
Howe'er performed, it was their brightest part, 
That they proceeded from a grateful heart, i 



264 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Cleansed in thine own all-purifying blood, 

Forgive their evil, and accept their good ; 

I cast them at thy feet ; my only plea 

Is, what it was, dependence upon thee : 

While struggling in the vale of tears below, 

That never failed, nor shall it fail me now. 

Angelic gratulations rend the skies ; 

Pride falls unpitied, never more to rise; 

Humility is crowned, and faith receives the prize." 



JUNE 7. 

" The Lord is our judge." Isa. 33 : 22. 

In ancient times the character of a judge was united with that of a 
sovereign. To deliver the award of acquittal, condemnation, or par- 
don, was the exclusive prerogative of majesty. Even in our days, the 
sentence pronounced by the appointed expositors of the law must have 
the fiat of the monarch before it can be fulfilled. 

The word judge is frequently, in the Scripture, synonymous with 
ruler. But here the Lord, as " our judge/'' is distinguished from the 
Lord as " our lawgiver n and " our king ;" the term should therefore be 
taken in its more peculiar meaning as to decisions and directions. 

And this view of God should blend with every other character he 
sustains : not to depress hope, but to prevent presumption ; not to hin- 
der our access to God, but to sanctify us when we come nigh him : not 
to inspire gloom, but to exclude from us all that carelessness and levity 
so inconsistent with our dependence and responsibility. " If ye call on 
the Father, who, without respect of persons, judgeth according to every 
man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear." 

He is our future judge. So then, says the Scripture, every one of 
us must give account of himself to God. " God will bring every work 
into judgment, with every secret thing." And who could bear the 
thought of this process without the knowledge of a Mediator ? The 
only way to find safety in that day is to look for the mercy of our Lord 
Jesus Christ unto eternal life, and to be found in him. He is our advo- 
cate with the Father, and he is the propitiation for our sins. The 
charges brought against us are all true, and we have nothing to offer 
even in our own extenuation. But we appeal to our Surety, and he 
answers for us. " Who is he that condemneth ? It is Christ that died, 
yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, 
who also maketh intercession for us." 

He is our judge at present. And the apostle speaks of it as a priv- 
ilege of the gospel dispensation, that " we are come to God, the judge 
of all." 

Are you perplexed about the path of duty, and yet you must move 
forward, while importance is attached to every step ? Refer yourselves 
to his unerring counsel. Be influenced and encouraged by the command 
and the promise, " Trust in the Lord with all thy heart ; and lean not 



JUNE 8. 265 

unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and 
he shall direct thy paths." 

Is your spiritual state doubtful to your own minds? And do you 
dread delusion? Present the case before him, and say, "Search me, 
God, and know my heart ; try me, and know my thoughts : and see 
if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." 

Do you lie under the misapprehension of friends and the reproaches 
of enemies ? Say, with Job, " Behold, my witness is in heaven, and my 
record is on high." How often did David turn from the groundless 
and cruel censures of men to Him who knoweth all things. " Lord, my 
heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty ; neither do I exercise myself 
in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely, I have behaved 
and quieted myself as a child that is weaned of his mother ; my soul is 
even as a weaned child." " Let my sentence come forth from thy pres- 
ence : let thine eyes behold the things that are equal." Are you re- 
viled? Revile not again. Do you suffer? Threaten not, but commit 
yourselves to him that judgeth righteously. It is pleasing to have the 
approbation of our fellow-creatures, but there is a higher, a juster, a 
more merciful tribunal. It is a light thing to be judged of man's judg- 
ment. He that judgeth us is the Lord. " Therefore judge nothing be- 
fore the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the 
hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the 
hearts j and then shall every man have praise of God." 



JUNE 8. 
" The grace that is in Christ Jesus." 2 Tim. 2:1. 

Grace is connected with the whole of our recovery as sinners. It 
is all in all in every part of our salvation. Whether he is chosen, or 
redeemed, or justified, or converted, or sanctified, or preserved, or com- 
forted, the believer will acknowledge, by the grace of God I am what I 
am — not I, but the grace of God which is with me. 

But where is this grace to be found ? The apostle tells us, when he 
speaks of it as the resource of Timothy, both as a minister and a Chris- 
tian, Thou, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ 
Jesus. As Mediator, he is the principle and the treasury of it with 
regard to us. 

It is in him exclusively. And we may as well think of finding snow 
on the bosom of the sun, or water to cool the tongue in hell, as to think 
of finding elsewhere than in him wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, 
and redemption. As Pharaoh said to the famishing multitudes that 
cried to him for corn, " Go unto Joseph, he has all the corn ;" so perish- 
ing sinners are sent to be blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly 
places in Christ. If there was only one well in the vicinity of a place, 
this would soon become the scene of concourse, and thither all the in- 
habitants would repair. "And to him shall the gathering of the people 
be." " If any man thirst," said he, " let him come unto me and drink." 



266 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Neither is there salvation in any other ; for there is none other name 
given under heaven among men, whereby they must be saved. And 
what Christian will refuse to join in the ascription, " Of his fulness have 
oil vre received, and grace /or grace ?" 

It is in him ail-sufficiently. For it is not in him as water in a ves- 
sel, which, though as large as the brazen sea, would, by constant draw- 
ing, be soon drawn dry ;.but as water in a spring, which, though always 
flowing, is always as full as ever. It is not in him like light in a lamp, 
which, however luminous, consumes while it shines, and will soon go 
out in darkness ; but like light in the sun, which, after shining for so 
many ages, is undiminished, and is as able as ever to bless the earth 
with his beams. There never has been, and there never will be, never 
can be a deficiency in him ; Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day, 
and for ever. 

It is in him relatively. He has it for the use and advantage of his 
people. Is he head over all things? It is to his body the church. 
Has he power given him over all flesh? It is that he might give eter- 
nal life to as many as the Father hath given him. Is he exalted at the 
right hand of God? It is to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repent- 
ance unto Israel, and forgiveness of sins. Did he receive gifts ? It was 
for men, and even for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell 
among them. Many trustees are faithless to their office. The rich have 
wealth for the poor ; but it is either hoarded by avarice or squandered 
by extravagance, so that the poor often share but little of it, and the 
design of the proprietor is subverted by the baseness of the steward. 
But here there is no danger. He to whom all our welfare is intrusted 
will be faithful, not as a servant, like Moses, but as a son over his own 
house. His work falls in with every disposition of his heart. He so 
loves the recipients of his bounty, that he even died for them and rose 
again. The power and authority to bless them was the joy set before 
him, for which he endured the cross and despised the shame. 

And it is wisely in him. Could we see no reason for it, we ought 
to believe in the propriety of the dispensation. God does all things 
well ; and we may always infer the rectitude of any instance of his con- 
duct even from his adopting it. And when he has told us that a partic- 
ular course of action "became him," it is absurd to speculate, and pro- 
fane to object. But it is easy to apprehend the wisdom of God in his 
being pleased that in him should all fulness dwell. It is thus infinitely 
secure. Adam had all in his own hand, and soon failed and ruined his 
whole race. And should we act better than he ? But " this man abid- 
eth ever ;" and therefore the covenant, of which he is the head, is ever- 
lasting, ordered in all things, and sure. By this appointment also ; there 
is rendered necessary a communion between Christ and Christians, 
equally honorable to him, and beneficial to them. Let me explain this 
by a simple reference. An infant when born, if left to himself, would 
perish, for he is entirely unequal to his own support. But he is not 
abandoned. Provision is made for his nourishment. Where ? In an- 



JUNE 9. 267 

other. In whom? The one above all others interested in him, and 
whose relation to him, whose anxiety on his behalf, whose love will 
always yield him a welcome access to her bosom ; and the mutual action 
of giving and receiving will endear the babe to the mother, and the 
mother to the babe. It is well we cannot live independent of Christ 
Jesus. How much are his glory and our welfare connected with the 
blessed necessity of our daily and hourly intercourse with him ! 



JUNE 9. 



"And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid 
daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered 
into the temple." Acts 3:2. 

What an object of distress was here ! Some, if they are poor, are 
strong and healthful, and limbs and labor are sufficient for them. And 
some, if they are sickly and infirm, have wealth, or relations and friends 
that can afford them support. But here penury and helplessness are 
combined. The sufferings of some are accidental, and endured for a 
season only ; but this man's affliction entered the world with him, and 
upwards of forty years he had endured the calamity. 

What a vale of tears is this earth ! To what a variety of evils are 
the human race exposed! Oh, could we see all ; could we see a little 
of the millionth part! What is a burial-ground, a field of battle, a 
hospital, every dismembered, disordered body, but a commentary upon 
sin as the text? For sin 

"Brought death into the world, and all our woe." 

Can we see such a case as this, and not be thankful for our exemp- 
tion and preservation ? Shall we say, He deserved to be such a cripple ; 
but I did not? Rather, shall we not say, By the grace of God, I am 
what I am ? 

Such an instance of misery is presented to try our disposition. The 
eye affecteth the heart, and was designed to do it. None but a priest 
or Levite will pass by on the other side. Such sights will attract the 
notice of the humane and the merciful, and move all his bowels of com- 
passion, and put in requisition all his powers of relief. Job, even with 
regard to his prosperity, which too often makes men insensible and 
careless, could make this appeal : " When the ear heard me, then it 
blessed me ; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me : because 
I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had 
none to help him. The blessing of him that was ready to perish came 
upon me : and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy." " I was eyes 
to the blind, and feet was I to the lame." 

As the only expedient of this poor wretch was begging, so, to give 
him an advantage, they placed him daily at the Beautiful gate of the 
temple, to ask alms of them that went in. This was wise. Surely he 
who is going to seek mercy will be ready to show it. Surely he who 



268 MORNING EXERCISES. 

is going to pray for pardon will not be unforgiving and implacable. 
" Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest 
that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before 
the altar, and go thy way ; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then 
come and offer thy gift." What communion hath light with darkness ? 
What fellowship can the cruel and uncharitable have with him who is 
love itself? 

Piety without benevolence is hypocrisy. " If a man say, I love God, 
and hateth his brother, he is a liar ; for he that loveth not his brother 
whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 
And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God, 
love his brother also." The tongue of men and angels, without charity, 
is as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. The gift of prophecy, the 
understanding of all mysteries, and all faith, so that we could remove 
mountains, would be nothing without charity. How such a man, what- 
ever be his profession, can be a partaker of divine grace, perplexed 
even an inspired apostle. " Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth 
his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from 
him, how dwelleth the love of God in him ?" 

How well he adds, "My little children, let us not love in word, nei- 
ther in tongue ; but in deed, and in truth." 

" And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our 
hearts before him." 



JUNE 10. 

"He delighteth in mercy." Micah 7 : 18. 

Causes are best discovered in their effects. We determine the 
nature of the spring by the quality of the streams. The tree is known 
by the fruits. We judge of men's principles and dispositions by their 
pursuits and conduct. God himself, so to speak, submits to be exam- 
ined in the same way. To ascertain what he is, we have but to consider 
what he does. The things the Scripture testifies concerning him are 
confirmed and exemplified by the facts to which it refers us. Thus 
says the church, " As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of 
our God." Is he called, " The God of all grace," " The Father of mer- 
cies?" Is it said, "He is rich in mercy," "He delighteth in mercy?" 
Let us pause and reflect, and we shall find the proofs and illustrations 
more wonderful than the assertion itself. 

We are saved by hope : hope is the first step in the return of a sin- 
ner to God ; and what hath God wrought to gain the confidence of our 
guilty, and therefore foreboding and misgiving minds! Here let us 
follow the example of the inspired John. What is it that arrests and 
enraptures his attention? "Herein is love." Where? In what? 
" Herein is love ; not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent 
his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." Not that he would over- 
look the other doings of God, but here he saw most clearly that " God 



JUNE 10. 269 

is love." God's soul delights in his own Son, yet he would seem to de- 
light more in mercy ; for when he met with him and us on Calvary, he 
said, Thou shalt die, and they shall live. It therefore pleased the Lord 
to bruise him, that by his stripes we might be healed, and through his 
smeet-smelling sacrifice, become dearer to God than if we had never 
sinned. And we must here take in not only the expensiveness of the 
act, but the character of the objects. It is the reasoning of another 
apostle, " Scarcely for a righteous man will one die : yet peradventure 
for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth 
his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for 
us." And having made the provision, so that all things are now ready, 
would he endeavor to awaken our attention to it, would he send forth 
the ministry of reconciliation to beseech us to accept it, unless he de- 
lighted in mercy? 

He delights also not only in the exercise of mercy to us, but by us. 
He therefore would not leave mercy to the operation of reason and re- 
ligion only, but, as our Maker, he has rendered it a law of our being. 
By our very constitution, pity is an unavoidable emotion. When we 
see the pain and distress of a fellow-creature, the eye affecteth the 
heart. We involuntarily feel an uneasiness, which prompts us to suc- 
cor him, even to relieve ourselves. As far indeed as this is implanted 
in us, it is a mere instinct. But who produced it there ? Who made it 
natural ? Who rendered it so difficult to be subdued and destroyed, 
but a Being who delighteth in mercy ? Besides, though it be originally 
an instinct only, by cherishing it we render it a virtue, and by exciting 
and exercising it from religious motives, we turn it into a Christian 
grace. 

And see what stress he has laid upon it in his word. How often 
does he enjoin it ! How dreadfully has he threatened the neglect of it ! 
And what promises has he made to the practice of it ! "He shall have 
judgment without mercy, that showed no mercy." " But blessed are the 
merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." He has told us, that no clear- 
ness of knowledge, no rectitude of opinion, no fervor of zeal, no con- 
stancy of attendance on ordinances, no talking of divine things, will be a 
compensation for charity. " Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his 
brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, 
how dwelleth the love of God in him ?" And hence the preeminence 
our Saviour gives it in the proceedings of the last day. " Then shall the 
King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, 
inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world ; 
for I was a hungered, and ye gave me meat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave 
jae drink ; I was a stranger, and ye took me in ; naked, and ye clothed 
me ; I was sick, and ye visited me ; I was in prison, and ye came unto 
me." The language has been perverted, for men dream of merit where, 
above all things, we need mercy. This word "for" is here not causa- 
tive, but evidential : just as we may say, the spring is come, for the 
birds sing ; the singing of the birds does not cause the coming of the 



270 MORNING EXERCISES. 

spring, but is the effect and proof of it. But even this distinction af- 
fords the merciless no favor'; for though the practice here so noticed 
be not the procuring of the blessedness, it is the character of the 
blessed. On every ground, therefore, the man who is a stranger to it 
is not entitled to hope. For which reason, too, our Lord goes on to the 
subjects of condemnation. And who are these ? Tyrants, robbers, 
murderers of fathers and mothers, perjured persons ? No ; but the 
slothful and the selfish, the unkind tongue, the close hand, the unfeeling 
heart, the unpitying eye, the foot that knew not the door of misery. 
" Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye 
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels ; for 
I was a hungered, and ye gave me no meat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave 
me no drink ; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in ; naked, and ye 
clothed me not ; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not." 

Let us therefore not only admire, but let us be followers of Him 
who delighteth in mercy. We cannot love him unless we are concerned 
to please him, and we cannot please him unless we are like-minded with 
him. Neither can we enjoy him. Resemblance is the foundation of our 
communion with him. He only that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, 
and God in him. " Be ye therefore merciful, even as your Father 



JUNE 11, 



"It came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could 
not see, he called Esau, his eldest son, and said unto him, My son : and he said unto him, 
Behold, here am I. And he said, Behold, now I am old, I know not the day of my death : 
now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the 
field, and take me some venison ; and make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it 
to me, that I may eat ; that my soul may bless thee before I die." Gen; 27 : 1-4. 

In Isaac's blindness we see one of the frequent accompaniments of 
age. Age is generally an aggregate of privations, diseases, and infirm- 
ities. If by reason of strength we reach fourscore years, the strength 
then becomes labor and sorrow — labor in the preserving, and sorrow in 
the possession. 

" Our vitals, with laborious strife, 
Bear up the crazy load ; 
And drag the dull remains of life 
Along the tiresome road." 

A powerful reason why we should remember our Creator in the days 
of our youth, that we may have a resource when the evil days come, in 
which we shall say, I have no pleasure. What a privilege, when exer- 
cised with loss of sight and of hearing, with trembling of limbs and 
sleepless nights, and fearful apprehensions and failure of desire, to have 
God for the strength of our heart, and our portion for ever, and to hear 
him saying, " Even to your old age I am he : and even to hoar hairs 
will I carry you : I have made, and I will bear ; even I will carry, and 
will deliver you." 



JUNE 11. 271 

The reflection of Isaac upon his mortality may be adopted by every 
individual, whatever his condition, or health, or age. All are ignorant 
of the time of their dissolution ; for the human race dies at all periods 
as well as in all circumstances, and we know not what a day may bring 
forth. But when Isaac says, " I know not the day of my death," he 
means that it was near, and that every day might be reckoned as' his 
last. Death is not far from every one of us. But while, as the proverb 
says, the young may die, the old must die. And it becomes the aged to 
think frequently and seriously of their departure as at hand. They 
should prepare for it, and regard zealously the call of every present 
duty. It was the prayer of Moses, " So teach us to number our days, 
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." It was the profession of 
our Lord and Saviour, " I must work the works of Him that sent me 
while it is day ; the night cometh, wherein no man can work." It was 
the admonition of Solomon, " Whatsoever thy hand findetli to do, do it 
with thy might : for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor 
wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." 

Thus Isaac was roused into a concern to finish his work before he 
finished his course : " Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, 
thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some ven- 
ison; and make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, 
that I may eat ; that my soul may bless thee before I die." Observe, 
he speaks of doing it while yet alive, not afterwards. In like manner 
Elijah, when waiting for his ascension into heaven, said to Elisha, " Ask 
now what I shall do for thee, before I be taken up from thee," believing 
his intercourse with him and his acting for him would then be termi- 
nated. This is a solemn, and should be a useful thought. Look at 
your children, your relations, your friends, your neighbors, and see in 
what way you can serve your generation. Now you can bless them by 
your prayers, your counsels, your example, your liberality ; but all these 
opportunities are confined to life, and this life is a vapor, that appear- 
eth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. Isaac did well in seizing 
the present moment to set his house in order before his death. But 
there are two things in which he was blamable. 

First, he shows too great a regard for the indulgence of his appetite. 
It is mournful to see a good man, and especially an old man, instead of 
mortifying the deeds of the body, studying his sensual gratification, and 
making provision for the flesh, not to fulfil the wants, but the lusts 
thereof. Carriages should be dragged as they are going down hill. 

Secondly, he was more influenced by natural affection than a regard 
to the will of God. He wished to make Esau heir, but God had ex- 
pressly declared, " The elder shall serve the younger." Isaac could not 
have been ignorant of this. Had he forgotten it, or did he disregard it? 
Here we see his frailty. Yet this does not render the purpose of God 
of none effect. His counsel shall stand, and he shall do all his pleasure. 
Rebekah, on the other hand, was fond of Jacob, and a father has no 
chance against a mother who has a favorite whom she is determined to 



272 MORNING EXERCISES. 

advance, especially such a selfish, crafty, cunning creature as was at 
work here. Rebekah's aim, indeed, fell in with God's design, but this 
concurrence arose, not from her piety, but her partiality. Her conduct 
was unjustifiable and sinful, for we must not do evil that good may 
come. She had the divine promise on the side of her preference, and 
she should have rested in the Lord, and waited patiently for him, and 
not have fretted herself in any wise to do evil. " He that believeth 
maketh not haste." Had she quietly committed her way unto the Lord, 
he would have brought it to pass without those wretched consequences 
that afflicted the family. For God uses instruments without approving 
of them ; and though he makes the folly and passions of men to praise 
him, he fails not to prove that it is an evil and bitter thing to forsake 
him, and to act without his fear in our hearts. 

How painful would it be to go on and see a mother teaching her 
child to tell lies, and to see a son imposing on the blindness of an aged 
father ! We have no notion that Rebekah was ever religious. And 
what proof have we that Jacob was pious at this time ? Was he not 
converted in his journey from Beersheba to Haran ? At Bethel God 
met with him, and there he spoke with us. 



JUNE 12. 



" The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way ; 
and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light ; to go by day and night. He took not 
away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the peo- 
ple." Exod. 13:21, 22. 

This institution was necessary, for there was no path in the desert, 
and they had no maps, no pioneers, no guides. But, says God, I have 
not brought you out of Egypt to leave you to wander and perish in the 
wilderness. Behold your conductor unto the rest and the inheritance 
which the Lord your God giveth you. Accordingly, by this they were 
to be regulated in all their journeying. As this rose, they rose. As this 
paused, they paused. As this turned to the right hand or to the left, 
they turned. It sometimes called them to leave a more endeared spot, 
and to stop in a less inviting scene, but they were not at liberty to cling 
to the one or decline the other, the signal was instantly decisive. This 
pillar was obviously nothing less than a real miracle, yet how little 
were the observers affected by it. They sinned, and even committed 
idolatry with this hovering prodigy always over them ! We are prone 
to ascribe too much moral efficacy to such supernatural appearances. 
They soon became as unimpressive and uninfluential as the ordinary 
means of grace are with us. 

It was a symbol of the divine presence. " The Lord was in the pil- 
lar." It was this nearness of God that insured their safety, and gave 
them their distinction and preeminence. There he was always at hand, 
always in view. " And," says Moses, " what nation is there so great, 






JUNE 13. 273 

who hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things 
that we call upon him for ?" 

But how extensively adapted was this provision to their state and 
exigencies! It was both a pillar of a cloud and a pillar of fire to lead 
them in the way. The one appearance was for the day, the other for 
the night. Fire by day would have added to the dazzling and fervid- 
ness of a burning sky ; the pillar was therefore a cloud by day, and 
screened them like a large umbrella from the scorching rays of the sun. 
Cloud by night would have added to the gloom, the darkness, and the 
dread of danger ; the pillar was therefore a fire by night, to lick up the 
unwholesome damps, to warm the chilling atmosphere, and to afford 
them a light by which they could see to move about in their tents, and 
also to travel, as they often did, after the sun was set. 

If this ordinance showed his wisdom and goodness, the continuance 
of the blessing evinced his patience ; for, notwithstanding their unwor- 
thiness, and their provocations, and their various corrections, this pillar 
was not taken away from before the people till they reached the border 
of Jordan and came to their journey's end ! 

He has a people for his name now. They are only strangers and 
pilgrims on earth, bound for a better country, that is, a heavenly. This 
they would never reach if they were left to themselves. But the God 
of Israel is with them. They have not the same sensible proof of his 
presence as the Jews had ; yet they have real evidence of it, and it is 
satisfactory to their own minds. He keeps them from falling. He 
accommodates himself to their conditions. He is a very present help 
in trouble. He makes his goodness to pass before them. He leads them 
by his word and his Spirit and his providence. He has also said, I will 
never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Therefore they may boldly say, 
" This God is our God for ever and ever : He will be our guide even 

unto death J 1 

" Thus, when our first release we gain 
From sin's old yoke and Satan's chain, 
We have this desert world to pass — 
A dangerous and a tiresome place. 

He feeds and clothes us all the way ; 
He guides our footsteps lest we stray ; 
He guards us with a powerful hand, 
And brings us to the promised land." 



JUNE 13. 



"The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad 
plates for a covering of the altar." Num. 16 : 38. 

He had solemnly forewarned and admonished the rebels themselves 
before they suffered, and thus in wrath he remembered mercy. "When 
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, who headed the conspiracy, were buried 
alive, and their companions, the two hundred and fifty princes, men of 
honor, were burned with fire, he would make them beacons, and prevent 

Morn. Exer. 18 



274 MORNING EXERCISES. 

others from coming into the same condemnation. Orders therefore 
were given to take up the censers in which they had dared to burn in- 
cense, and make of them broad plates to cover the altar of burnt-offer- 
ing, that they might be " a sign unto the children of Israel ;" that is, 
a memorial to the Levites, and the comers thereunto, of the revolt of 
these men, and that they were punished for invading an office which 
God had forbidden them. 

Whence we note, that the sin which is hurtful to the transgressors 
should be useful to the observers. 

"These sinners against their own souls." Whenever men sin, they 
sin against themselves. Society cannot exist without laws, and laws are 
nothing without penalties. Connivance at the guilty would be cruelty 
to the innocent. In every well-ordered government crimes are pun- 
ished. And will they, can they escape in the empire of a Being holy 
in all his ways, and righteous in all his works ? What would you think 
of a magistrate who bore the sword in vain, and who was not a terror 
to evil-doers as well as a praise to them that do well? What would 
you think of him, if, when you brought before him the incendiary of 
your house, or the murderer of your child, he should say, This does not 
regard me ; and smile, and say, Go in peace ? We dislike the word 
vindictive justice ; there seems something malignant in it ; but substi- 
tute in the room of it the vindicatory or punitive justice of God, and 
we contend that this is essential to the excellency of his character, and 
that you could not esteem or even love him without it. What regard 
could you have for a being who equally respected lies and truth, cruelty 
and kindness — a Nero and a Howard ? We readily own that when 
anger and wrath are ascribed to God in the Scriptures, they do not 
imply any thing in him like passion in us, but only principle. But prin- 
ciple they do establish, and this principle is the soul of order, adherence 
to rectitude, determination to punish. 

And we may see this in his threatenings. For his wrath is revealed 
from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men. If 
this book be true, the wicked shall not stand in his sight. He hateth 
all workers of iniquity. 

He has also confirmed and exemplified it in his conduct. Look to 
heaven, and see the angels sinning against themselves, and cast down 
to hell. See Adam and Eve driven from the garden of Eden. See the 
flood carrying away the world of the ungodly. See the inhabitants of 
the plain, and Pharaoh, and the nations of Canaan, and the Jews, 
though so peculiarly indulged of God. Yea, he even visits the trans- 
gressions of good men with a rod ; and though he forgives their iniqui- 
ties, he takes vengeance on their inventions. See Moses and Aaron 
forbidden to enter the land of promise, and Eli and David so awfully 
judged in this life. And if these things are done in the green tree, 
what shall be done in the dry ? And if the righteous are recompensed 
in the earth, how much more the sinner and the ungoldly ? 

It would be easy to trace the injury of sin with regard to every 



JUNE 13. 275 

thing of which the welfare of the sinner is compounded. His connec- 
tions ought to be dear to him. But how does he sin against these ! 
How does the wicked child rend the heart of his parents, and bring 
down their gray hairs with sorrow to the grave ! How does the hus- 
band, instead of providing for those of his own house, by his vices 
reduce the wife he ought to love even as himself to indigence and 
wretchedness, and her helpless babes along with her ! What a blessing 
is health! But how does he sin against this! By intemperance and 
sensuality he is made to possess the iniquities of his youth, which lie 
down with him in the dust. Envy is the rottenness of the bones. So 
are hatred and malice. And so are all those corroding anxieties and 
fears which they must feel who have no confidence in God, or hope of 
heaven. Reputation is desirable, as it enables us to live in the esteem 
of others, and valuable, as it is an instrument of usefulness : a good 
name, says Wisdom itself, is better than great riches. But who regards 
the sinner ? Who confides in him ? What is his friendship, or his prom- 
ise ? The name of the wicked shall rot. " A wicked man is loathsome, 
and cometh to shame." We must be measured and weighed by our 
souls. The mind is the standard of the man. This is the seat of hap- 
piness or misery. But he that sinneth against me, says God, wrongeth 
his own soul. Wrongs it of peace, for there is no peace to the wicked. 
Wrongs it of liberty and pleasure, for he is in the gall of bitterness, and 
in the bond of iniquity. Wrongs it of safety, for the wrath of God 
abideth on him ; he is condemned already. 

But let not these sinners suffer in vain. They are our martyrs; 
they die and perish for us. Their loss should be our gain, and their 
destruction our salvation. 

The first advantage we may derive from an observation of the sins 
and sufferings of others, is the confirmation of our faith. And nothing 
can tend more to establish our belief in the truth of the Scripture, than 
to take its declarations and decisions, and compare them with the doc- 
uments of men's lives. The Bible tells us that " the way of transgres- 
sors is hard ;" that they proceed from evil to evil : that a little leaven 
leaveneth the whole lump ; that the companion of fools shall be de- 
stroyed ; that the love of money is the root of all evil. And who has 
not seen this as well as read it? 

Another benefit is gratitude. When we see the wicked, we see 
what we should have been but for preventing and distinguishing grace. 
Who made me to differ ? Have I a heart of flesh, while they are insen- 
sible? Am I a light in the Lord, while they are darkness ? Am I walk- 
ing in the way everlasting, while destruction and misery are in their 
paths ? By the grace of God, I am what I am. 

The observation should also awaken and excite zeal. Surely none 
so much need our compassion as those who are destroying themselves 
for ever. We talk of doing good. What advantage can we procure a 
fellow-creature like that godliness which is profitable unto all things ? 
What enemy can we rescue him from like his lusts and vices ? If we 



276 MORNING EXERCISES. 

convert a sinner from the error of his way, we save a soul from death, 
and hide a multitude of sins. 

It should also serve to wean us from the present world. What a 
bedlam it is ! What a sink of corruption too ! What righteous soul is 
not daily, hourly vexed with the filthy conversation of the ungodly? 
Thus the ear, the eye, the hea/t is constantly annoyed. We behold the 
transgressors, and are grieved. that I had in the wilderness a lodg- 
ing-place of wayfaring men ! that I had wings like a dove ; for then 
would I flee away, and be at rest, with the spirits of just men made per- 
fect, dwelling in love, and dwelling in God ! 

Finally, let us fetch from it warnings. When Daniel, addressing 
Belshazzar, reminded him of his father's pride and destruction, he ag- 
gravates his guilt by saying, " Thou knewest all this." When the apos- 
tle mentions " the sins and plagues that Israel knew," he says, " Now 
these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after 
evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some 
of them ; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and 
rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them 
committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let 
us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of 
serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and 
were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto 
them for ensamples : and they are written for our admonition, upon 
whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that think- 
eth he standeth take heed lest he fall." 

And surely, my soul, if the sins of others may be rendered thus 
profitable, I ought to be concerned to gain something from my own. 
Let me derive wisdom from my follies, strength from my weakness, and 
standing from my very falls. Let me see more of my depravity, and 
put on humbleness of mind, and apply to the blood of sprinkling ; and 
never more trust in my own heart, but be strong in the grace that is in 
Christ Jesus ; and be sober and vigilant, and, till I am beyond the reach 
of evil, pray, " Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe." 



JUNE 14. 



* Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not 
known me, Philip ?" John 14 : 9. 

He had been with Philip and his fellow-disciples corporeally, for 
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among them, and they beheld his 
glory. But his bodily presence was confined to Judea, and few knew 
him after the flesh. And soon he was known so no more, for he was 
received up into heaven. But it is remarkable, that while on earth he 
evinced that his efficiency was not dependent on his bodily presence ; 
for he performed cures at a distance, as we see in the case of the noble- 
man's son and the centurion's servant, who were healed by no applica- 



JUNE 14. 277 

tion, but simply by his volition, as if to encourage the belief that when 
removed hence he could still operate in our world. 

And if his word is to be relied upon, he is with his people now. What 
was his promise to his ministers, to his churches, to individuals? "Lo, 
I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." " Where two 
or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of 
them." " If a man love me, he will keep my words ; and my Father 
will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with 
him." Therefore, he has either given promises which he is unable to 
fulfil, or, though now in heaven, he is with his disciples on earth — with 
them specially, graciously, spiritually. Effects prove the existence of 
the cause. The operation of the workman shows his presence. And 
that "his name is near, his wondrous works declare." He has done 
enough in the Christian to demonstrate that he is with him, and he hath 
said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 

Yet he says to Philip, " Hast thou not known me ?" Philip was not 
entirely ignorant of him. But he knew him not sufficiently ; he knew 
him not comparatively ; he knew him not, considering how he might 
have known him. And is not this the case with us? Some have very 
little knowledge of any kind. They never guide even the common 
affairs of this life with discretion. They seem incapable of improve- 
ment. Even suffering does not teach them wisdom. "Experience," 
says Franklin, "is a dear school; yet fools will learn in no other," 
And they do not learn even in this. Yet the children of this world are 
wiser in their generation than the children of light. We live in a land 
of vision ; we have Sabbaths and Bibles, and religious ordinances and 
teachers. Yet as to knowledge of the peculiar truths of the gospel, 
and the reality of Christian experience, numbers are as ignorant as 
heathens. " The light shineth in darkness, but the darkness compre- 
hendeth it not." Must we go on? What do many Christians, real 
Christians, who have long had the great Teacher with them, what do 
even they know ? What do they know of their own interest in him ? 
Are they not yet unable to determine what their spiritual condition is, 
and to say with Thomas, My Lord and my God ? How little do they 
know of his salvation ! How little of the glories of his person ! How 
little of the nature of his dispensations towards them ; so that they are 
confounded with the fresh discoveries they make of the evils of their 
own hearts, perplexed with their afflictions, desponding if difficulties 
multiply, and they see no means or way of escape, and ready to con- 
clude that he has shut out their prayers, because he does not immedi- 
ately and sensibly answer them ; and all this from their knowing so 
little of the manner in which he deals with his people. 

Yet the defectiveness of their knowledge is very censurable, espe- 
cially after long intimacy with him. Hence the apostle reproaches the 
Hebrews : "When for the time ye ought to have been teachers, ye have 
need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the ora- 
cles of God." Hence our Lord said to his disciples on another occasion, 



278 MORNING EXERCISES. 

"Are ye also yet without understanding?" And here again he says, 
' ; Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, 
Philip ?" He had scarcely been three years with them then, and he 
had very gradually developed himself, and kept back many things for a 
future communication. Yet it was a long period, considering ' its im- 
portance and privileges. And always having access to him with their 
inquiries, and hearing his discourses, and witnessing all his conduct, 
they ought to have gained much more than they did. But they were 
slow of heart, and made very little progress, as we see by their various 
mistakes and embarrassments. Yet what right have we to cast a stone 
at them? How few, how poor, how wretched have been our attain- 
ments ! And yet he has been much longer with many of us ; ten, twen- 
ty, forty years — years, too, abounding with every assistance. Four things 
ought to make us blush at the thought of this. 

First, the necessity and value of the knowledge we have made so 
little proficiency in. How much depends upon it — our usefulness, our 
preservation from error, our peace and comfort, and our progress in the 
divine life. For though we may grow in knowledge without growing 
in grace, we cannot grow in grace without growing in knowledge. 
Religion does not act upon us mechanically, but morally ; that .is, 
through the influence of just views and motives. 

Secondly, some have made far greater advancement in much less % 
time, and with very inferior advantages. They set out long after us, 
but they soon passed us on the road. They have had very little pious 
intercourse, and have seldom heard a gospel sermon. Yet when we 
converse with them, and observe them in the relations, duties, and trials 
of life, how much below them must we feel ourselves to be. 

Thirdly, our obligations and responsibility rise with our means and 
opportunities. What an advantage are pious relations. What a priv- 
ilege is a gospel ministry. What a precious talent is time. Where is 
conscience while we look at our slender improvement of all these? 
Where much is given, much will be required. 

Lastly, our unprofitableness is the subject of divine disappointment 
and complaint. " What could have been done more to my vineyard 
that I have not done in it ? Wherefore, when I looked that it should 
bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?" The thought of 
displeasing and dishonoring him is nothing to some people. But shall 
we provoke and grieve his Holy Spirit? Can we who love him and 
know what he has done for us, can we be insensible to the Saviour's 
decision, " Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit ; so 
shall ye be my disciples ?" 

What remains but that we admire and adore the patience of Him 
who still bears with us, though we have so often constrained him to 
ask, "How long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?" 
And let us search and try our ways, and turn again unto the Lord. 
Let us guard against indecision and sloth. Let us be diligent in the 
use of all the means of religious improvement. Let us not cease to 



JUNE 15. 279 

pray, that- we may be "filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wis- 
dom and spiritual understanding. That we may walk worthy of the 
Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increas- 
ing in the knowledge of God." 

"Then shall we know, ifwe follow on to know the Lord. His going 
forth is prepared as the morning. And he shall come unto us as the 
rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." 



JUNE 15. 



'• When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the 
sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children 
of Israel." Deut. 32 : 8. 

This is an important and interesting communication. It supplies us 
with two facts. 

First, that God originally divided the nations their inheritance. 
When after the deluge he gave the new earth to the children of men, 
he did not throw it in among them, so to speak, for a kind of scramble, 
that each might seize what he could, but he assigned them their several 
portions, that the discontented might not invade the peaceful, nor the 
mighty prey upon the weak. God permits what he does not approve ; 
but nothing can be more contrary to his design and pleasure than for 
powerful states to invade and incorporate little ones. And the crime 
generally punishes itself. Such unjust and forced accessions add noth- 
ing to the safety, strength, or happiness of the acquirers j but become 
sources of uneasiness, corruption, and revolt ; so difficult is it to sup- 
press old attachments, and patriotic instincts that are almost equal to 
the force of nature. Paul justifies the sentiment of Moses : "He hath 
made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of 
the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the 
bounds of their habitation ; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they 
might feel after him and find him, though he be not far from every one 
of us." 

Secondly, in the arrangement of the limits and conditions of man- 
kind, he had an especial reference to the future commonwealth of Israel. 
For they were by far the most important detachment of the human race. 
They were the Lord's portion, and the lot of his inheritance. They 
were the depositaries of revealed religion ; the heirs of the righteous- 
ness which is by faith. To them pertained the adoption and the glory 
and the covenant, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, 
and the promises ; theirs were the fathers ; and of them, as concerning 
the flesh, Christ came. "We cannot trace this fact perfectly, for want 
of more materials ; and we know not all the purposes of God in mak- 
ing and keeping the Jews a peculiar body ; otherwise we should clearly 
see how all the dispensations of God corresponded to their privileged 
destination. 



280 MORNING EXERCISES. 

One thing is to be observed. They were not intended to engross the 
divine favor, but to be the mediums and diffusers of it. They were not 
only to be blessed, but to be blessings. Hence their being placed in 
the midst of the earth, that from them knowledge might be derived, 
and proselytes to revealed religion might be made ; and that, in the 
fulness of time, out of Zion might go forth the law, and the word of the 
Lord from Jerusalem ; and that the great supper, as our Lord calls it, 
and which was designed for the whole family of Adam, might be spread 
in the midst of the earth, and be accessible to all. 

While we here see that there is nothing like chance in the govern- 
ment of the world, there is what may be called a peculiar providence in 
particular instances. And here we cannot help thinking of our own 
country. No country on earth bears such a comparison with Judea, 
in privilege and design, as this favored land. Its appropriation and 
appointment will account for its preservation, and emerging from diffi- 
culties which seemed likely to swallow it up. And when we consider 
what it is, and what it more than promises to be, we can find reason for 
its insular situation ; its government, laws, and commerce ; its talent 
and learning, and influence and dominion. We are a sinful people, but 
as " the mew wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, 
for a blessing is in it ; so, says God, will I do for my servants' sakes, 
that I may not destroy them all." We cannot approve of every thing 
we have done, especially in the West and East Indies ; but we cannot 
be .ignorant that God is overruling it for good ; and has ends in view 
far beyond slave-holders, and mercantile companies, and heroes, and 
statesmen. We have fought, and we have conquered ; but the negro 
is instructed, and the captive is made free indeed; and openings are 
made and occupied for the spread of the gospel. 

The economies of heaven on earth have always been regulated by 
one end — the cause of the Messiah ; and could we view things as God 
does, we should perceive how all the revolutions of the world, the 
changes of empire, the successes or defeats of haughty worms, have 
affected this cause, immediately or remotely, in a way of achievement 
or preparation, of purification or increase, of solidity or diffusion ; and 
that all things are going on not only consistently with it, but con- 
ducively to it. For says the Ruler over all, U I have sworn by myself, 
the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, 
That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." 

And 0, Christian, there is a special providence over thee. The 
hairs of thy head are all numbered. One thing regulates all that 
befalls thee ; all the dark, as well as the clear ; all the painful, as well 
as the cheerful — thy spiritual, thy everlasting welfare : " For we know 
that all things work together for good to them that love God ; to them 
that are the called according to his purpose." 



JUNE 16. 281 

JUNE 16. 

11 Thy loving-kindness is before mine eyes. " Psa. 26 : 3. 

And it will be well to follow David, and to keep the loving-kindness 
of God before our eyes also. This should be done four ways. 

First, as a subject of contemplation. The mind will be active, and 
it is our wisdom to regulate and sanctify our thoughts. Isaac went out 
into the field at eventide to meditate, and we may infer the nature of 
his reflections from his character. David said, My meditation of him 
shall be sweet. How precious are thy thoughts unto me, God ; how 
great is the sum of them ! People complain of the difficulty they feel 
in fixing their minds ; but the duty would become easier by use, and 
surely they never can be at a loss for a theme. Let them take his lov- 
ing-kindness and set it before their eyes. Let them observe it as it 
appears in the promises of his word, in the history of the church, in 
their own experience. Let them pass from the instances of his loving- 
kindness to the qualities of it. Let them dwell upon its earliness, and 
fulness, and extensiveness, and seasonableness, and constancy. " Whoso 
is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the 
loving-kindness of the Lord." 

Secondly, as the source of encouragement. How often shall we need 
this ! We shall feel our want of it under a sense of our guilt and un- 
worthiness and continued imperfections ; and nothing short of the exceed- 
ing riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us by Christ Jesus, will 
be able to relieve us. But this will relieve us, and effectually succor us. 
It will give us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, 
and boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. And It 
will do alL this without reconciling us to our sins, or even our infirmi- 
ties ; yea, it will make us lament our deficiencies the more, and grieve 
that we serve him so little, who loves us so much. W x e shall want it in 
our afflictions. And who can hope to escape these in a vale of tears? 
Now^nothing is so desirable in our sufferings as to see, not only the 
hand, but the kindness of God in them. For often they look like the 
effects of his wrath, and we tremble under them, and cry, "Do not con- 
demn me. I could bear these trials if I thought they were only the 
strokes of a Father's rod, and knew they were sent in love." And they 
are sent in love. They are only the strokes of a Father's rod, laid hold 
of with reluctance, and laid aside with pleasure. 

Thirdly, as an excitement to praise. It is afflicting to think how 
little the loving-kindness of God is acknowledged by those who are 
constantly partaking of it. How lamentable, says Leighton, is it, that 
a world so full of God's mercy should be so empty of his glory. Oh, 
says David, again and again, Oh that men would praise the Lord for 
his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 
Were there not ten lepers cleansed ? But where are the nine ? Did 
even Hezekiah render according to the benefits done him? And are we 
better than they? And whence is it that we feel so little the obliga- 



282 MORNING EXERCISES. 

tions we are under to the God of our mercies? Because the mercies 
of God are so little remarked and remembered by us. Nothing can 
impress us when it is out of our minds and thoughts. Therefore, says 
David, " Bless the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits." At 
the moment when God appears for us, we are sensible of his goodness, 
and speak well of his name ; but like the Jews, we soon forget his 
works, and the wonders which he has shown us. We inscribe our afflic- 
tions upon a rock, and the characters remain ; we write our mercies 
on the sand of the seashore, and the first wave of trouble washes them 
out. 

Lastly, we should keep his loving-kindness before our eyes as an 
example for imitation. The Scripture calls upon us to be followers of 
God as dear children. And in what are we to resemble him? His 
moral, and not his natural perfections. We may wish to resemble him 
in power and independence, and to be as gods, knowing good and evil. 
But we are to be concerned to reverence him, not as the greatest, but 
the best of beings ; to be faithful as he is faithful, to be holy as he is 
holy, to be patient and forgiving and kind like himself. " I say unto 
you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them 
that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and perse- 
cute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in 
heaven : for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and 
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."' Be ye therefore merciful, 
even as your Father which is in heaven is merciful. 

You would do well to keep in view some of your fellow-creatures 
who feel that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Think of a 
Howard, a Thornton, a Reynolds. But in Him the fatherless findeth 
mercy. God is love. We cannot equal him, but it is our happiness to 
resemble him. He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in 
him. " Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of 
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering ; for- 
bearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a 
quarrel against any : even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And 
above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness." 



JUNE IT. 



"The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken in their pits, of 
whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen." Lam. 4 : 20. 

Some commentators suppose that these words are intended to apply 
to the Saviour. We see no ground for this conclusion. Others imagine 
that there may be a reference to him under the case of Zedekiah. How- 
ever this may be, the passage may be used, not to prove any doctrine, 
but to remind us of several things pertaining to the Lord Jesus, and 
fully established in the Scriptures of truth. 

Such as his office : " The anointed of the Lord f the very meaning 
of the word Messiah in the Old Testament, and of Christ in the New. 






JUNE 17. 283 

Prophets, priests, and kings were anointed at their consecration. He 
was all these. And therefore he is said to be anointed with the oil of 
gladness above his fellows. Here the term imports majesty; and he is 
the King of glory, the King of saints, the King of nations. " With my 
holy oil have I anointed him." 

Such is the estimation in which he is holden by his subjects : " The 
breath of our nostrils." He is not so regarded by others. The world 
knew him not. The Jews received him not. He is now, as, to the mul- 
titude, despised and rejected of men. This was the case once with his 
own people. They acknowledge it, and look back with shame and 
sorrow upon a period — and with some of them it was a long period — 
during which he had no form or comeliness, nor any beauty that they 
should desire him. But he has been revealed in them. Arid now he 
appears fairer than the children of men, and altogether lovely. Faith 
makes him precious. He is their righteousness and strength, their 
glory and joy, all their salvation and all their desire. We may be 
excessive in our attachment to a creature, but we can never think too 
highly of him. It was idolatry in these Jews to call their prince the 
breath of their nostrils, but Jesus is really and absolutely so to us. 
How dear : how important ; how indispensable ! 

Such is their expectation from him, " Of whom we said, Under his 
shadow we shall live among the heathen." The Israelites were liter- 
ally among the heathen, surrounded as they were with the gentile na- 
tions. This was also the case with the first Christians. Yea, they 
were not only encompassed by them, but intermixed with them. In 
one house dwelt an idolater, in the next a worshipper of God. A 
pagan and a Christian labored together in the same field or the same 
manufactory. We should not undervalue the outward advantages of 
Christianity. How much more privileged are we than our missionary 
brethren ! They live under his shadow, but it is among the heathen ; 
while we have our Sabbaths and temples, and preachers and our fel- 
low-Christians, with whom we take sweet counsel together. Though 
there are no heathens among us nominally, and as to dispensation, 
yet there are some who know nothing doctrinally, and many who 
know nothing spiritually — many who are without God in the world, 
and who hate and oppose, as far as they are allowed, the religion we 
experience. And how often is a righteous soul vexed with the filthy 
conversation of the ungodly, and constrained to sigh, " Woe is me, that 
J dwell in Mesech !" But whatever be the disadvantages of our con- 
dition, there is a shadow, and his shadow, under which we can live. A 
shadow from the heat — not the shadow of a summer-cloud only, but of a 
great rock in a weary land ; the shadow of a tree yielding not only 
shade, but fruit ; according to the acknowledgment of the church, " I 
sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet 
to my taste." So it is said, "They that dwell under his shadow shall 
return ; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine ; the scent 
thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon." His shadow means protec- 



284 MORNING EXERCISES. 

tion, and all the blessings of his empire. The reign of some rulers is 
like the shadow of a vulture over the bird of prey, or as a hurricane 
over the flooded meadow and the stripped forest. But let the children 
of Zion be joyful in their King. Blessed are all they that put their 
trust in him. 

Such is his apprehension and suffering : " He was taken in their 
pits." They watched him and persecuted him through life. At length 
he was betrayed into the hands of his enemies, and they insulted him 
and crucified him, and laid him in the grave. Then his disciples said, 
"We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel." 
"The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was taken in 
their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the 
heathen." 

But here correspondence becomes contrast. No type, no image, no 
illustration can do justice to him ; and when examined, it will always 
be found to teach more by unlikeness than by conformity. Zedekiah's 
subjects had their hopes disappointed and destroyed by his arrest ; and 
when carried away and imprisoned at Babylon, he could no longer de- 
fend or comfort them. But Jesus is our hope, notwithstanding his ap- 
prehension and death, yea, and in consequence of it. He is made perfect 
through sufferings. And thus it is that he brings many sons unto glory. 
When he fell into the hands of his enemies, they thought they had com- 
pletely succeeded. But their triumph was short. He fell ; but in dying 
he overcame. And then was the judgment of this world, and then was 
the prince of this world cast out. We therefore glory in his cross : 
there he becomes the author of eternal salvation. He died for us, and 
rose again; and because he lives, we shall live also. 

Let us then live under his shadow — securely live, nobly live, joyfully 
live ; not only having life, but having it more abundantly. 

And let us invite others to come and share with us. "In that day 
shall ye call every man his neighbor, under the vine, and under the 
fig-tree." 

JUNE 18. 

" After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth ; and found a 
certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Pris- 
cilla ; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome :) and came 
unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought ; 
for by their occupation they were tent-makers." Acts 18 : 1-3. 

Aquila and Priscilla were persons of great religious excellence. 
They are often mentioned with commendation in the epistles as well 
as in the Acts of the Apostles, especially when Paul says to the Ro- 
mans, " Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus ; who 
have for my life laid down their own necks : unto whom not only I 
give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles." They were 
born in Pontus, then they resided in Italy, and were now in business at 
Corinth. Hither they had been driven by an imperial decree, and 



JUNE 18. 285 

probably thought hard of the measure that banished them. But in 
consequence of this trial they became acquainted with Paul, and had 
him for their guest, their friend, and companion. And what a com- 
panion must a man of his talents and grace have been. And what 
an advantage must they have derived from his morning and evening 
devotions, and his example, and his constant conversation. Surely 
they would acknowledge, It is good for us that we have been afflicted. 
The lives of some have been very changeable, and in their removals 
contrary to a disposition to enjoy a fixed and permanent dwelling, they 
have been ready to murmur and complain. But nothing occurs by 
chance, and all the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth to those that 
fear him. Let such remember that they know not what designs God 
has to accomplish by events of this nature, either with regard to them- 
selves or with regard to their connections. Let them also reflect that 
this is not their rest, and view every present residence as 

"Preliminary to the last retreat." 

In proportion as we look after a better country, and realize it as 
our own, all earthly situations will be alike indifferent to us j yea, we 
shall find each of them none other than the house of God, and the gate 
of heaven. 

Paul not only lodged with them, but wrought, for they were of the 
same occupation with himself. For though he had been educated at 
the feet of Gamaliel, he had been bred to the craft of tent-making. 
The Jews, whatever was their condition in life, were accustomed to 
give their sons a calling* ; wisely considering it a prevention of idleness, 
a security from temptation, and a resource in accidental indigence. 
Hence, of their doctors, one was surnamed Rabbi the shoemaker • an- 
other, Rabbi the baker ; another, Rabbi the carpenter. Ricaut says, 
the grand seignior, to whom he was ambassador, was taught to make 
wooden spoons. Is this degrading? Seneca says, he would rather be 
sick and confined to his bed, than be unemployed. Adam and Eve 
were placed in the garden to dress and to keep it. And our Saviour de- 
clined not working at his supposed father's business. Paul, the chief of 
the apostles, was not ashamed of labor. But as a man of taste and 
learning, he must have been fond of reading ; and he desired Timothy 
to bring him his books and parchments. It seems therefore strange 
that his friends should not have indulged him with leisure and entire 
freedom for his office also, by exempting him from manual toil. The 
workman is worthy of his hire, and this he always claimed as a right, 
contending that they who preached the gospel should live of the gos- 
pel ; adding, also, that no man who warreth entangleth himself with 
the affairs of this life. 

But a right is sometimes to be given up, and there is no general rule 
but allows of exceptions. Priscilla and Aquila were not rich, and 
would lament their inability to do more for their illustrious guest. 
And he had an independence of mind ; and seeing these worthy people 



286 MORNING EXERCISES. 

themselves laboring to gain a livelihood, he would not be burdensome, 
but pay for his accommodations. And they are mean souls who will 
endure to be supported by the alms, and especially by the industry of 
others, when their own hands are sufficient for them. They who will 
not work should not eat. In a word, Paul knew the infancy of the 
cause, and was acquainted with all the circumstances of the case, and 
acted, we may be assured, with wisdom and prudence. Yet his conduct 
displayed the noblest self-denial and zeal. 

There are two places in which he refers to his working. The first 
shows the degree in which he toiled, often, after teaching, sitting up 
late at night : " Ye remember, brethren, our labor and travail ; for we 
labored night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto you." 
The second tells us that his aim was not only to support himself, but to 
be able to succor others : " Ye yourselves know that these hands have 
ministered to my necessities, and to them that were with me." What a 
soul had this man ! And how well could he add, " I have showed j^ou 
all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to 
remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed 
to give than to receive." 



JUNE 19. 

"Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 2 Tim. 2 : 1. 

We may have this grace, and not be strong in it. The reality is 
one thing, the degree is another. We read of weak faith as well as of 
strong faith. There are lambs in our Shepherd's fold as well as sheep, 
and in our Father's house there are little children as well as young 
men. But while there is in religion an infancy which is natural and 
lovely, there is also another which is unlooked for and offensive — it is 
the effect of relapse. It is not of the beginning of the divine life, but 
of an after-period the apostle speaks, when, reproving the Hebrews, he 
says, " Ye are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong 
drink." We must not despise the day of small things. The Saviour 
himself does not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax, 
but he is concerned to bring forth judgment unto victory. And while 
the feeble-minded are to be comforted, the slothful are to be stimulated, 
and all are to be kept from " settling upon their lees." 

Every thing shows how necessary it is to be strong in the grace that 
is in Christ Jesus. Your dangers require it. These are to be found 
in all the relations, offices, conditions, and circumstances of life. Your 
passions are not wholly mortified. There is the sin that yet dwelleth 
in you. The world lieth in wickedness, and you are passing through 
it. Your adversary the devil goeth about seeking whom he may de- 
vour. How much depends upon one instance of falling ! And did not 
Abraham equivocate? Did not Moses speak unadvisedly? Did not 
Peter deny his Lord ? And what says all this to us ? Be strong in the 
grace that is in Christ Jesus. 



JUNE 19. 287 

Your duties require it. You have a family, and with your house 
you are to serve the Lord. You have a calling, and in this you are to 
abide with God. You have the exercises of devotion, in which you are 
to worship God in spirit and in truth. You have to walk by faith, and 
not by sight. You are to have your conversation in heaven, while 
every thing conspires to keep you down to earth. 

Your usefulness requires it. You are not to live to yourselves, but 
to him that died for you, and rose again. You are to look not on your 
own things, but also on the things of others. You are to walk in wis- 
dom towards them that are without, and endeavor to win souls. You 
are to do good, as you have opportunity, unto all men, especially unto 
those that are of the household of faith. 

Your trials require it. Who but must reckon upon these in a world 
like this? And if you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is 
small. To glorify God in the fires, and to recommend religion by its 
supports and comforts, when every thing else fails, demands no small 
share of grace. 

Your consolations require it. Consolations are not only delightful, 
but they are even of practical importance in religion. They enlarge 
the heart and enliven zeal, and embolden courage, and wean from the 
world. And you read of a peace that passeth all understanding, and a 
joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. Yet what do some of you 
know of these ? More grace would bring more evidence, and raise you 
more above your fears and depressions. " If ye will not believe, surely 
ye shall not be established." 

Death requires it. Other events may, but this must occur. It is a 
melancholy day to those that have no God, and a very serious one to 
those who have. To think of it, to meet it with triumph, or even with 
confidence — will not this call for more grace than you now possess ? 
And what is the language of all these demands ? Despond ? No ; but 
be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Without him you can 
do nothing ; but through his strengthening you, you can do all things. 

Rest not therefore in any present attainment. Like Paul, forget 
the things that are behind, and reach forth unto those that are before. 
It is to be lamented that we are easily dissatisfied where we ought to 
be content, and content where we ought to be dissatisfied. In temporal 
matters we should have our conversation without covetousness, and be 
content with such things as we have. But here, alas, we are ava- 
riciously anxious. And though three feet are enough for us in the 
cradle, and seven in the grave, nothing can satisfy us between. But 
in spiritual things, with what trifling acquisitions are we contented! 
Yet here it is even our duty to be covetous, to be ambitious. And as 
before us lies an infinite fulness, and we are not straitened in our re- 
sources, let us not be straitened in our desires and expectations ; let us 
ask and receive, that our joy may be full. 



288 MORNING EXERCISES. 

JUNE 20. 

"Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name." Psa. 61 : 5. 
So, then, they that fear God have a heritage. All of them have not a 
heritage in the world. And they need not be ashamed to own it ; they 
have the honor of conformity to their Lord and Saviour, who had not 
where to lay his head. And though they have nothing, they yet possess 
all things : " I know thy poverty ; hut thou art rich." Indeed, even as 
to temporal good, they are above others. He blesses their bread and 
their water ; and bread and water, with the favor of God. are dainties. 
And a little that a righteous man hath, is better than the riches of 
many wicked. It is not only sweeter, but safer, and will go farther. 
The grace of God will make a little go a great way. This we have 
often seen; and we should have been amazed how some individuals, 
with their very slender means, could make a decent appearance, and 
pay their way, and have a trifle to give to him that needeth, did we not 
know that the secret of the Lord was upon their tabernacle. Godli- 
ness also, with contentment, is great gain. Contentment is a kind of 
self-sufficiency. It does not allow us to want what Providence denies. 
And who, whatever be his affluence, can be more than content? A 
man is satisfied with much less in a journey than he has at home. Now 
regeneration makes a man a stranger and a pilgrim upon earth, and 
then reason as well as faith says to him, 

" Turn, pilgrim, turn ; thy cares forego ; 
All earth-born cares are wrong : 
Man wants but little here below ; 
Nor wants that little long." 

But as to spiritual good, they may well say, " The lines are fallen 
unto me in pleasant places ; yea, I have a goodly heritage. For the 
Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup." His testimo- 
nies are their heritage for ever, and they find them the rejoicing of 
their hearts. All the exceeding great and precious promises are theirs. 
And theirs is the inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that 
fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for them. Compared with this, 
what was the heritage of a Jew in Canaan; of Adam in Paradise? 
What is the heritage of a crowned worldling ; of an angel in glory? 
Yet this is as true as it is wonderful : " This is the heritage of the ser- 
vants of God ; and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." 

For this heritage is not obtained by force, nor by purchase, nor by 
desert, but by bounty and grace. It is " given. 1 * 

And we may know that we possess it. David speaks without any 
hesitation : " Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy 
name." 

that I could read my title clear! "Praise waiteth for thee, 
God, in Zion." I long to be able to praise thee as the health of my 
countenance, and my God. " Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation." 
And " show me a token for good." 



JUNE 21. 289- 

Above all, as, whatever they may doubt or fear, blessed are they 
that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled ; 
enable me, if I cannot say with confidence, Thou hast given me the 
heritage of those that fear thy name — enable me to pray, with supreme 
desire, " Remember me, Lord, with the favor that thou bearest unto 
thy people : visit me with thy salvation ; that I may see the good of 
thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may 
glory with thine inheritance." 



JUNE 21. 

"Neither give place to the devil." Eph. 4: 27. 

If this admonition be connected with the words immediately pre- 
ceding, " Be ye angry, and sin not : let not the sun go down upon your 
wrath," the apostle intimates that sinful passion arises from the influ- 
ence of the devil, and that, when it prevails, we give up ourselves to 
his power. And can there be a truer specimen of hell than a man in a 
state of fury and revenge ? 

But there is nothing in the case that requires us to confine the ad- 
dress to the repulsion of wrath. The truth is, that Satan has access to 
us, and in various ways is always endeavoring to encroach upon us ; 
and it must be our object to repel him. The image is familiar and 
striking. If an enemy was trying to enter your field, your garden, or 
your house, you would withstand him, for you would see that as you 
yielded he advanced. In every successful temptation Satan gains upon 
us, and takes a position which we ought to have kept. 

With the philosophy of this subject we have nothing to do, but only 
with the fact itself. The sacred writers as much support the doctrine 
of diabolical agency as of divine. They make use of the same terms 
and phrases in the one case as in the other. Is God said to open the 
eyes of our understanding ? Satan is said to blind the minds of them 
that believe not. Is God said to work in us to will and to do ? Satan 
is the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Are 
Christians filled with the Spirit? Why, says Peter to Ananias, has 
Satan filled thy heart ? 

But while the fact is proved, nothing is said of the mode in which 
his operations are carried on. We cannot think, however, that it is 
always done personally and immediately. This would involve an im- 
possibility. If he were thus soliciting every individual in every part 
of the earth at the same time, and his work is always going on, he must 
be omnipresent and omniscient. But he is the god of this world ; and 
having under him all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust 
of the eye, and the pride of life, and having all the errors and the wick- 
edness which he has introduced into our region to make use of, and such 
a depraved nature as ours to work upon, he has power enough to em- 
ploy mediately for all his purposes. The bird need not be afraid of the 
fowler if he keeps away from his gun and his snare, for he is not in 

Mom Exer. 19 



290 MORNING EXERCISES. 

much danger from his fingers. How is the fish taken? The angler 
does not wade into the water, and seize it in his hand. He does not 
even see his prey ; but he reaches it and secures it by a baited hook at 
the end of his line and his rod. Yet he catches the fish, and would do 
the same if his instrument was a mile long. 

There are many reasons why we should not give place to the devil. 
One is, because his designs are always bad. He may transform himself 
into an angel of light ; and he may endeavor to introduce his evils and 
mischiefs under specious names, representing covetousness as laying up 
for the children, and pride as dignity, and revenge as a becoming spirit, 
and trimming in religion as prudence, and conformity to the world as 
winning others. Thus we are hardened through the deceitfulness of 
sin. But we ought not to be ignorant of Satan's devices. We read of 
his depths and his wiles. And God in his word tears off all his dis- 
guises, and shows us at once that his aim is only to ensnare and en- 
slave, and rob and degrade, and wound and destroy. He therefore 
that yields wrongeth his own soul, and loves death. 

Another is, because the more you give way, the more advantage he 
has tfver you. It will always be found much more easy to keep him 
out, than to get him out. When the Moors were admitted into Spain, 
they staid there for more than six hundred years, in spite of every groan 
and effort — so much harder is expulsion than exclusion. 

Let us therefore avoid parleying with this enemy. He will rise in 
his demands with every concession. He is not to be treated with, but 
rejected. Let us guard against beginnings ; they increase unto more 
ungodliness. In this down-hill course we easily proceed from evil to 
evil. When a person walks out in the morning clean in his apparel, he 
is cautious how he treads, and the first soil he contracts affects him ; 
but the second offends him less, and the third much less still, till he 
says, " It matters not now," and heedlessly dashes on. The youth is 
not profligate at once ; but evil communications corrupt good manners. 
The first time he complies with a temptation he feels a reluctance, and 
after the crime is committed his conscience smites him. But a degree 
of this is overcome by every subsequent repetition, and the profaner of 
the Sabbath, and the drunkard, and the sensualist, go boldly on, wax- 
ing worse and worse. One sin naturally leads to another, prepares for 
another, pleads for another, and renders another necessary, either by 
way of concealment or finish. Thus David, to hide his adultery, com- 
mits murder, and then impiously ascribes this to the providence of God : 
" The sword smiteth all alike." 

Another reason is, because you need not yield. You are not forced. 
If the devil compelled you, he would also justify you, for there can be 
no guilt where there is no liberty. The motives to commit sin can 
never be so great as the arguments to forbear. What can weigh for a 
moment against the authority of an infinite Being on whom we entirely 
depend ? And what is any indulgence or suffering, compared with end- 
less happiness or misery ? Would God have enjoined upon us a thing 



JUNE 22. 291 

that is impracticable ? And is not his grace sufficient for us ? And is 
it not attainable by us ? Is not his promise true : Ask, and it shall be 
given you ? And, in the history and experience of his people in all 
ages, do we not see proof of this? Have not multitudes in the same 
condition, exposed to the same perils, feeling the same weaknesses and 
depravity, been more than conquerors ? 

Finally, resistance is the way to success, and insures.it. Hence, 
says God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Can God be mis- 
taken ? Can he deceive ? And does not every one know that persons 
slacken in any course or action in proportion as they want encourage- 
ment ? For hope is the mainspring of motion. If a beggar be relieved, 
however slenderly or seldom, he will in extremity repair to the door 
again, but not if he be positively and invariably refused. 

Resist, therefore, steadfastly, and show that you are in earnest and 
determined. For there is a heartless undecided refusal that invites 
renewed application, or at least does not shut the door entirely against 
importunity. If Satan cannot look into the heart, he is acquainted 
with the ways in which it shows itself, and is sure to know whether 
there is a latent wandering after what is professedly renounced, and so 
will be led to watch his opportunity, and ply his means. 

But the apostle adds, Resist him steadfastly, in the faith. There is 
no fighting on a quagmire. Faith furnishes the only solid, the only safe 
ground on which we can contend. Faith clothes us with the whole 
armor of God. Faith connects us with the Captain of our salvation, 
without whom we can do nothing, but through whose strengthening us 
we can do all things. 

" And Satan trembles when he sees 
The weakest saint upon his knees." 

" A friend and helper so divine 
Doth my weak courage raise ; 
He makes the glorious victory mine ; 
And his shall be the praise." 



JUNE 22. 



"He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through 
Samaria." John 4 : 3, 4. 

For two reasons : because Samaria lay in his passage, and because 
he had in design the conversion of this poor woman. We cannot im- 
agine an event of such magnitude in itself — for there is joy in the pres- 
ence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth ; and attended 
with such consequences as this was, for it involved the salvation also 
of many of the Samaritans — we cannot imagine that such an event was 
accidental. Nothing takes place by chance in our most common affairs ; 
and is the conversion of a soul for everlasting blessedness a casualty? 

In the recovery of sinners, the grace of God is equally necessary 
and illustrious. By grace are we saved through faith ; and that not of 






292 MORNING EXERCISES. 

ourselves, it is the gift of God : not of works, lest any man should boast ; 
for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. And in the con- 
version Jesus here accomplished, we have an example of this grace, an 
example of its freeness, of its gentleness, of its power, and of its effects. 

Of its freeness, in selecting this wicked wretch, in spite of her un- 
worthiness, and without her desire, and making her not only the par- 
taker, but the instrument of his goodness. 

* Of its gentleness, in having recourse to no means of alarm, no vio- 
lence. No angel appears with a drawn sword ; no lightnings flash j no 
thunder rolls ; no threatening terrifies. All is mercy, all is mildness ; 
and he employs circumstances the most natural and suitable to bring 
her to conviction, and to induce her to pray. 

Of its power, in the victory it gained over the corruptions of her 
heart. If there be a moral disorder that seems incurable, or an evil 
capable of resisting all reasoning and motive, it is the spirit of impu- 
rity. But behold here a new creature ! She is not only pardoned, but 
renewed, and the change wrought at once ! 

Of its effects. She not only believes with the heart, but confesses 
with the mouth. She is not only enlightened, but inflamed. No sooner 
has she gained good than she is concerned to do good. Personal relig- 
ion becomes social. She cannot for a moment keep from others what 
she has seen and heard herself. What benevolence ; what zeal ; what 
urgency ; what fortitude ! " The woman then left her wate/pot, and 
went into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man which told 
me all things that ever I did : is not this the Christ ?" And what suc- 
cess too ! For they who speak from experience seldom speak in vain. 
" Then they went out of the city, and came unto him." Some of these 
might have accompanied her from curiosity, and some from the mere 
contagion of example, but not a few were deeply and savingly im- 
pressed. " And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him, 
for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I 
did. So, when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him 
that he would tarry with them : and he abode there two days." 

The sight of this had so affected our Saviour as, it would seem, to 
take away his appetite. He had been hungry as well as thirsty, and 
the disciples had gone away into the city to buy meat. But when they 
returned, and prayed him, saying, Master, eat ; he said unto them, I 
have meat to eat that ye know not of. And when they said one to an- 
other, Hath any man brought him aught to eat? he said, " My meat is 
to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." What a 
repast have I had since you left me ! A poor sinful Samaritaness has 
been here, and I have manifested myself to her ; and under the impres- 
sion, she has hastened to inform and invite her neighbors to come and 
hear me, and has prevailed. " Say not ye, there are yet four months, 
and then cometh harvest?" But see the encouragement you have to 
scatter the seeds of divine truth. ''Lift up your eyes, and look on the 
fields" — see the woman and her company coming over yonder plain — 



JUNE 23. 293 

" for they are white already to harvest." Here the success is so imme- 
diate, that " the sower and the reaper rejoice together" And so it is 
written : " Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the ploughman 
shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth 
seeds ; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall 
melt." 

JUNE 23. 

" The Lord will give strength unto his people ; the Lord will bless his people with 
peace." Psa. 29 : 11. 

The God of nature gave David a fine poetical talent. And he em- 
ployed it like a good man, for his own improvement, and the profit of 
many. It is well to take advantage of the excitement of any present 
feeling, and to give it a religious direction. According to the admo- 
nition of the apostle James, Is any afflicted? let him pray. Is any 
merry? let him sing psalms. David did this, for he was accustomed to 
put his sentiment into verse on the occurrence of any interesting or sig- 
nificant event. Many of his psalms took their rise from a trouble or a 
deliverance he had just experienced. The thirty-first psalm was writ- 
ten at the dedication of his new house. The hundred and fourth was 
a spring meditation. The eighth is a night scene. The nineteenth, a 
morning piece. The lines before us were composed in a thunder-storm. 

Thunder is one of the sublimest displays of Deity. It generally 
produces fearfulness and terror. Caligula the emperor, at the hearing 
of it, would creep into any hole or corner. But such a man should re- 
flect, that if God has a mind to kill him, he can do it without raising 
nature into a storm ; his breath is in his nostrils ; he is crushed before 
the moth : " Thine eye is upon me, and I am not !" And we should do 
Well to think of a more dreadful event. Baxter did this. When a 
storm came on as he was preaching, and the congregation was obviously 
disconcerted and dismayed, he paused, and then said, "Men and breth- 
ren, we are assembled here to prepare for that hour when the heavens, 
being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fer- 
vent heat ; the earth also, and all the works that are therein, shall be 
burned up." 

All greatness is comparative. David therefore naturally addresses 
"the mighty," as much as to say to them, You are flattered and feared, 
but what is the greatest of you before Him ? Think of the Thunderer, 
and adore. " Give unto the Lord, ye mighty, give unto the Lord 
glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name ; 
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is 
upon the waters : the God of glory thundereth : the Lord is upon many 
waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful : the voice of the Lord is 
full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars ; yea, the 
Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip 
like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. The voice of 
the Lord divideth the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shaketh 












294 MORNING EXERCISES. 

the wilderness : the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. The 
voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the for- 
ests." Here let the mind review the description, and we shall see how 
truly and vividly David's imagination marked and portrayed the cir- 
cumstances and effects of the phenomenon. 

He then leads us from the uproar of nature to the small still voice 
of grace. He retires with us into the sanctuary of God, there to testify 
the glory of his goodness, and to calm and cheer us with the assurance 
of his providential empire over all the commotions of life, and his atten- 
tion to the welfare of his people. w And in his temple doth every one 
speak of his glory. The Lord sitteth upon the flood ; yea, the Lord 
sitteth King for ever. The Lord will give strength unto his people ; 
the Lord will bless his people with peace." 

But this promise, you say, is made to " his people." It is. But be 
not afraid. Perhaps they will not be found so unlike yourselves as you 
imagine. It is here implied that they are weak and distressed. They 
want strength and peace. And both these blessings are insured. 

Are they by nature without strength ? And have they from expe- 
rience a growing conviction of their inability ? Yet, with all this sense 
of weakness, have they trials to endure, duties to perform, a race to 
run, a warfare to accomplish? As their day, so shall their strength be. 
His grace is sufficient for them. Let the weak say, I am strong. 

Do they need rest and refreshing ? The God of peace shall give 
them peace always by all means. Not worldly peace. He has nowhere 
absolutely engaged to give this. We say absolutely, for if it be good 
for them, they shall not want it ; for they shall want no good thing. 
But there is a peace as far exceeding every other as the soul surpasses 
the body, and eternity exceeds time — the peace of God, which passeth 
all understanding, and which keeps the heart and mind through Christ 
Jesus. This does not depend upon outward things. In the world, says 
the Saviour, ye shall have tribulation ; but in me ye shall have peace. 
And hence, as when weak they are strong, so, though sorrowful, they 
are always rejoicing. 

Yet it is only the beginning of it they have here. At death they 
enter into peace fully. Every enemy is then vanquished. The din of 
war is heard no more. The dangerous, treacherous, raging, sickly sea 
is crossed. And then are they glad because they be quiet. So he 
bringeth them unto their desired haven. 



JUNE 24. 

"He departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house named Justus, one that 
worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief 
ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house ; and many of the Corin- 
thians hearing believed, and were baptized." Acts 18 : 7, 8. 

This was at Corinth. Here he continued a year and six months, 
assured that the Lord had much people in that city. At first he rea- 



JUNE 24. 295 

soned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews. But 
upon their opposing and rejecting him, he sought another place to teach 
in. It was not a building appropriated to public worship. At this 
time, and long after this, the Christians had no such edifices. They 
assembled wherever they could find an accommodation. The spot was 
indeed consecrated, not by a religious ceremony, but by the presence of 
God, and the service itself. The Saviour himself attached no holiness 
to walls or ground, but said, Where — let it be where it will — two or 
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. 
He preached not only in the temple and in the synagogue, but in the 
private dwelling, and by the way-side, and in the mountain, and on 
board a ship. And his apostles followed his example ; and every where 
lifted up holy hands without wrath and doubting. 

The house Paul now entered belonged to a worshipper of God 
whose name was Justus, and it joined hard to the synagogue. The 
nearer the church, the proverb is, the farther from God. This is founded 
on the observation that what men can easily reach and enjoy, they often 
neglect. And who are they that come late to the sanctuary? Not 
those from a distance, but they who live near. ' Who are absent in bad 
weather ? Those who have carriages, or can procure vehicles ; not 
they who come on foot. Who most frequently excuse their non-attend- 
ance? The strong and healthful ; not the indisposed and weak. Who 
sleep during the service ? Not the poor and laborious, who have sel- 
dom an hour of repose, but the lazy and genteel, who never know what 
fatigue means. 

It was a trial of principle in this man to open his house to Paul. It 
would create him inconvenience and trouble and expense, and it would 
draw upon him danger and reproach, as it was an open avowal of his 
adherence to the cause, and he knew that the sect was everywhere 
spoken against. How many professors of religion, yielding to their 
selfish and dastardly reasonings, would have refused ! They would have 
said, What will people think of me? What will my relations say? 
And may not my business suffer? We are never prepared for a course 
of godliness till we can give up every thing to God, especially our pal- 
try reputation, as well as our worldly profit. Bunyan, with as much 
truth as genius, places all the pilgrims under the conduct of Mr. Great- 
Heart. It is to intimate that we shall need courage every step of the 
way to the shining city. Let us consult not with flesh and blood, but 
only with conviction ; and go forth to the Saviour without the camp, 
bearing his reproach. We shall then not only retain peace of mind, 
but please him whose loving-kindness is better than life. Did Obed- 
Edom repent of taking in the ark ? The Lord blessed his house, and 
all that pertained to him. Who was ever a loser by any thing he did 
for the cause of God ? Who can be a loser while He remains true who 
has said, Them thai honor me I will honor. They shall prosper that 
love Zion? 

What Justus did in accommodating Paul, rewarded and dignified 



296 MORNING- EXERCISES. 

Mm ; and it is now told for a memorial of him. How must it have 
delighted him to see the good that was done under his own roof. 
" There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner 
that repenteth." But here a man of some rank and influence, Crispus, 
the chief ruler of the synagogue, believes ; nor is this all — his house 
too is added to the Lord. Yea, and many of the Corinthians hearing 
believed, and are baptized. 

Yet Paul baptized but few of them. And when he wrote his epis- 
tle to these people, he rejoiced in the fact. This has puzzled those who 
look upon the dispensation of the sacraments, so called, as by far the 
most honorable and sacred part of the ministerial function. And in all 
our churches persons are allowed to preach before they are authorized 
to administer what are called divine ordinances. And many reasons 
have been alleged to account consistently with this, for Paul's conduct 
in thanking God that in all the time he staid here, and notwithstanding 
the multitude of converts, he had only baptized Crispus and Gaius, and 
the household of Stephanus. But the reason he himself assigns over- 
turns an unscriptural notion and practice. He had devolved upon 
others the baptism of the new converts because, says he, "Jesus Christ 
sent me not to baptize" — which outward form could be dispensed by 
others of inferior station and talent — " but," which is by far the most 
important and difficult part of the office, " to preach the gospel." 



JUNE 25 



" The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days' journey, 
to search out a resting-place for them." Num. 10 : 33. 

That is, the Lord did this. But the ark was the symbol of his pres- 
ence, and the seat of his residence ; from which, by the cloud, he regu- 
lated all their movements. Yet the expression is still metaphorical, 
and we must not suffer the condescension of his language to injure the 
glory of his perfections. He feels no perplexity. He never deliber- 
ates, never examines, never searches ; for there is nothing that is not 
manifest in his sight. But as men do this, and must do this, if they 
would avoid mistakes, and decide and act judiciously, the Lord thus 
intimates that his wisdom was concerned in all their journeyings ; and 
that his people may keep their minds in perfect peace, being stayed on 
him ; for, as strangers and pilgrims on the earth, he careth for them — 
they are under his guidance — nothing befalls them by chance. All their 
removals and their rests, all their situations, their trials, their comforts, 
are chosen for them by the only wise God their Saviour, who is always 
on the look-out for them : " For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro 
throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of 
those whose heart is perfect towards him." 

He not only leads his people in the way that they should go, but is 
concerned to afford them repose, as well as direction. Thus, in his prom- 
ise to Moses, he said, " My presence shall go with thee, and I will give 



JUNE 25. 297 

thee rest." Thus, in the review of his goodness, he says to Jeremiah, 
" The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilder- 
ness, even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest." 

Thus here he searched out for them a resting-place, in their journey 
and after it. To the former Moses refers when he says, " The Lord 
your God went in the way before you, to search you out a place to 
pitch your tents in ;" before they were required to lay them entirely 
aside. Thus, before they reached Canaan, he led them into many rest- 
ing-places : in some of which they continued only days ; in some, weeks ; 
in some, months ; and in a few, even years. It was a fine resting-place 
when they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and 
threescore and ten palm-trees. But this was at the beginning of their 
journey, and designed to encourage them. They could not look for 
many stations like this. Each, however, which they successively occu- 
pied was of the Lord's selecting. 

We may apply this to the temporal residences of Christians. How 
movable have some of them been! But He has led them from one situ- 
ation to another, and it should be satisfying for them to think that he 
could find a better resting-place for them than they could have chosen 
for themselves, for he perfectly knows both the place and the persons. 
Sometimes the lines fall to them in agreeable scenes, and he kindly 
exceeds their hopes. In other cases the abode is less inviting, and even 
trying. But they must acquiesce, without murmuring or complaining, 
in their Conductor's disposal — conscious that they are not worthy of 
the least of all his mercies, and remembering that they are not yet come 
unto " the rest and inheritance which the Lord giveth them." 

It will apply also to their spiritual peace and refreshment in their 
travels. " Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask 
for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall 
find rest for your souls." There are spiritual resting-places on this side 
of heaven. In their acquaintance with his throne, his house, his day, 
his word, the covenant of peace, here he affords them the shadow of a 
great rock in a weary land. Here he maketh his flock to rest at noon. 
Here they lie down in green pastures, and are fed beside the still 
waters. 

But the principal resting-place he sought out for them was at their 
journey's end. It was Canaan. "In the day I lifted up my hand 
unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I 
had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of 
all lands." 

Yet there is a better country. And this, Christian, He is looking 
out for you. Whatever you now enjoy, your repose is imperfect and 
interrupted. Something, aloud or in a whisper, says. Arise, and depart 
hence ; for this is not your rest., 

; But there remaineth a rest for the people of God. A rest from all 
toil and temptation ; from all sorrow and sin. A rest not only in God, 
but a rest with him. 



298 MORNING EXERCISES. 

"0 glorious hour! blessed abode! 
I shall be near and like my God : 
And flesh and sin no more control 
The sacred pleasures of my soul. 



JUNE 26. 



"Upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman; yet no 
man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?" John 4: 27. 

That is, immediately upon the conversion, and just as lie had said 
unto her, I that speak unto thee am the Messiah. 

Thus their return broke off the conference, and the woman was 
probably grieved to see the disciples so near at hand. Our most inter- 
esting interviews in this world are often and soon interrupted. It is 
sweet to hold converse with our fellow- Christians and with ministers ; 
and it is far sweeter still to hold communion with the Saviour. There 
are moments in the sanctuary and the closet, when we can say, 

" While such a scene of sacred joys 
Our raptured eyes and souls employs, 
Here we could sit, and gaze away 
A long, and everlasting day." 

But not only our sinful distractions, but our lawful connections and 
business and cares invade and disperse our enjoyments, and make us 
long after a state where these interruptions will be no more. Now we 
have visions, or at best but visits ; then we shall be for ever with the 
Lord. 

The disciples were astonished, and the cause of their marvelling 
was, that " he talked with the woman." Had they an apprehension that 
she was a woman of ill-character? And like the Pharisees, did they 
suppose that it was incompatible with the sanctity of the Messiah to 
hold any intercourse with persons of infamous reputation? This is not 
probable. She was a stranger to them. Our Lord indeed knew her, 
but it was by his divine prerogative, and as yet he had no opportunity 
to speak of her to his disciples. 

It is more likely that their wonder arose from seeing him in close 
and friendly conversation with a woman of Samaria, for the Jews had 
no dealings with the Samaritans. The rancor excluded even the com- 
mon civilities of life. At present the disciples seemed not aware of 
their Lord's design to extend favor to the Gentiles, and were but little 
acquainted with the nature of his kingdom, " where there is neither Jew 
nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female ; for we are all one in Christ 
Jesus." 

Again, women have not always been properly regarded. If they 
contribute to their own degradation, they must blame themselves. It 
has often been asked why the conversation of even wise men is, with 
women, always vain and trifling? We do not entirely admit the facj. 
If however there be truth in the supposition, the cause is to be found 
in females themselves ; they must be pleased with such discourse, for 



JUNE 26. 299 

men will naturally accommodate themselves to their taste ; and it is 
their interest to do so. Let women rise and vindicate their sex — many 
are now doing so ; let them" show that they consider themselves, and 
wish to be considered as rational as well as animal creatures, and as 
companions as well as playthings and toys, and articles of sense and 
dress. But at this period the sex were treated, and are so still in the 
East, as beings much inferior to men. Now the disciples knowing that 
Jesus never trifled in conversation, but always spoke superiorly and 
divinely, were amazed to find him discoursing on deep and important 
subjects with a poor menial woman, judged incapable of understanding 
them. 

The meanness of 'the persons to whom he manifested himself always 
scandalized flesh and blood. Have, it was asked, any of the rulers 
believed on him ? But this people, who know not the law, are cursed. 
Yet it was his glory that the poor had the gospel preached unto them, 
and that the common people heard him gladly. When he rejoiced in 
spirit, he said, I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that 
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them 
unto babes. And his apostle follows in the same strain: "For it is 
written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to noth- 
ing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is 
the scribe ? where is the disputer of this world ? hath not God made 
foolish the wisdom of this world? But God hath chosen the foolish 
things of the world to confound the wise ; and God hath chosen the 
weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty ; and 
base things of the world; and things which are despised, hath God cho- 
sen ; yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are : 
that no flesh should glory in his presence." 

But we here see the diffidence and submission of the disciples. " Yet 
no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?" 
Confidence in his greatness and rectitude awed them into silence. 
Whence we recommend two things. First, let us observe the words of 
Solomon : " If thou hast thought evil, lay thy hand upon thy mouth" A 
good man should make conscience of the state of his mind, as well as 
of his speech ; but what we cannot always prevent in thought, we may 
restrain in expression. Words are worse than thoughts : they add to 
them ; they show more of the dominion of evil ; they are more injurious 
to others, and betray ourselves more into difficulties. In a multitude of 
words there wanteth not sin. Therefore let us resolve to take heed to 
our ways, that we sin not with our tongue. David prayed, "Set a 
watch, Lord, before my mouth ; keep the door of my lips." 

Secondly, as the reverence of the disciples induced them not to 
question the propriety of our Lord's conduct, though for the present 
they could not understand it, so should we act towards him. He is not 
bound to give account of any of his matters ; and he often requires us 
to walk by faith, and not by sight. But we know that his work is per- 
fect ; his ways are judgment. Let us never charge him foolishly, but 






300 MORNING EXERCISES. 

acquiesce in the most mysterious of his dispensations ; assured that he 
has reasons for them which at present satisfy him, and will satisfy us 
when they are finished and explained. What we know not now, we 
shall know hereafter. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 
" Just and true are all thy ways, thou King of saints." 



JUNE 27. 
" Thou hast been a shadow from the heat." Isa. 25 : 4. 

And what he has been, he is and will be — the same yesterday, 
to-day, and for ever. 

Heat means evil — any evil, every evil from whfich it is desirable to 
be screened. Heaven is a state — and many have reached it — where the 
sun does not light on them, or any heat. But it is otherwise in this world. 
Here many things affect the mind as oppressive heat does the body, and 
makes us pant for deliverance and repose. The wrath of God — a sense 
of his fiery law in the conscience — the temptations of Satan — the perse- 
cutions of wicked and unreasonable men, afflictions — public and private, 
personal and relative : here is the heat. 

Where is the shadow ? Behold me, says the Saviour of sinners : 
behold me ! Come unto me, and I will give you rest. This is the rest, 
says God, wherewith ye shall cause the weary to rest ; and this is the 
refreshing. 

But what kind of shadow is he ? We read in the Scripture of the 
shadow of a cloud, of the shadow of a tree, of the shadow of a rock, 
of the shadow of a tabernacle from the heat. The shadow of a cloud 
in harvest is grateful, but transient. The shadow of a tree under 
which we sit down is delightful, but it is limited to a small distance ; 
and the rays frequently pierce through the boughs. The shadow of a 
great rock is dense and cool, but it befriends not on every side, and 
covers little from the vertical rays. The shadow of a tabernacle, into 
which we may continually resort, and find not only room but entertain- 
ment, is the most complete and inviting. All these have some truth 
in their application to him, but none of them can do justice to the sub- 
ject. He is what they imply, but more; and not only more than each 
of them, but more than all of them ; and more than all of them com- 
bined ; and more than all of them combined in the best estate — and infi- 
nitely more. He is not only perfect, but divine ; and " he that dwelleth 
in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the 
Almighty" 

Let me leave, then, other shadows. They are all inadequate to the 
wants of the soul, and in some way or other will be sure to fail me ; 
yea, whatever else I get under for shelter will not only prove vanity, 
but vexation of spirit, 

But let me make use of this shadow from the heat. He is not far 
off ; he is accessible. He is easy to approach. And it is only by repair- 
ing to him that I can enjoy the benefit derivable from him. 



'JUNE 28. 301 

And while believing, I rejoice in him with joy unspeakable, let me 
show my benevolence by recommending him to others. They also are 
strangers to repose. They also want rest unto their souls. And he is 
sufficient to receive, and defend, and succor, and bless all. Oh happy 
period, when the eyes of men, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be 
towards the Lord ; and when in him all the families of the earth shall be 
blessed. The Lord hasten it in his time. 



JUNE 28. 

"What doest thou here, Elijah?" 1 Kings 19 : 13. 

The principle of this question was not ignorance. God well knew 
how and why he came there. But he would know from Elijah himself, 
and therefore asks him ; that being called upon to account for his con- 
duct, he might, be convinced of his folly, and be either speechless, or 
condemned out of his own mouth. We may view the inquiry three 
ways. 

First, as an instance of God's moral observation of his creatures. 
" His eyes are upon the ways of man, and he pondereth all his goings." 
Nothing can screen us from this inspection. Elijah was in a wilderness, 
and alone ; he had even left his servant behind him ; but the eye of God 
followed him. And " the eyes of the Lord are in every place, behold- 
ing the evil and the good." And let us not imagine that he only looks 
4 after an extraordinary character, like Elijah. No one is too small and 
inconsiderable to be disregarded by him. Every human being is not 
only his creature, but his* subject, and responsible to him. The meanest 
slave is great in the sight of God, as possessed of a soul, and destined 
for eternity. God has a right to know where we are, and what we are 
doing ; and a much greater right than a father or a master has to know 
this with regard to a child or a servant, for we are absolutely his. 
And he is interested in observing our conduct : interested as a judge, 
who is to pass sentence upon our actions ; interested as a friend and 
benefactor, who would check us when we are going astray, or recall us 
when we have wandered. For, 

Secondly, we may consider it as a reproof given to a good man. He 
ought not to have been here, hiding himself from his enemy, and beg- 
ging that he might die ; but should have been engaged in carrying on 
the cause of God in the reformation he had so nobly begun. He was 
therefore blamable. God does not cast him off, but he reprehends him. 
And as many as he loves he rebukes and chastens. And faithful are 
the wounds of this Friend. 

And how does he administer this reproof? He had all the elements 
under his control, and he showed Elijah what he could do : " And he 
said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And behold, 
the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, 
and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord ; but the Lord was not 
in the wind : and after the wind, an earthquake ; but the Lord was not 



302 MORNING EXERCISES. 

in the earthquake : and after the earthquake, a fire ; but the Lord was 
not in the fire : and after the fire, a still small voice. And it was so, 
when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went 
out, and stood in the entering in of the cave." " And behold, there came 
a voice unto him, and said" — You cowardly deserter? You ungrateful, 
rebellious wretch? — No ; but, "What doest thou here, Elijah?" And 
this " in a small still voice ;" a kind of undertone, or whisper, as if no 
one should hear it besides. Here was no upbraiding, nothing to inflame 
passion, but a kind and calm appeal to reason. How forcible, and yet 
tender ! It is thus his gentleness makes us great. It is thus he does 
not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax. It is thus he 
calls upon us to be followers of him, as dear children. If a brother be 
overtaken in a fault, let us not employ the earthquake, the wind, and 
the fire, but the small still voice. Let us take him aside. Let us tell 
him his fault between him and us alone. Let us restore such an one in 
the spirit of meekness. Reproof should never be given in a passion. 
It is too much, says an old writer, to expect that a sick patient will take 
physic, not only when it is nauseous, but boiling hot. And we know 
who has said, " In meekness, instructing those that oppose themselves." 
" The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." 

Thirdly, as a rule by which we may judge ourselves. Let us sup- 
pose that we heard God addressing us, as he did Elijah. How should 
we answer him? Could we say, I hope I am where thou wouldst have 
me to be, and doing what thou wouldst have me to do ? He does thus 
inquire. And therefore it behooves us so to act as to be able to give a 
satisfactory account of our conduct. 

Let us apply the question to our troubles. How came we in these 
difficulties? Have they befallen us in following after God, or have 
we drawn them upon ourselves by our folly and sin ? 

Let us apply it to our connections. We are choosing associates ; 
are we walking with wise men, or are we the companions of fools? We 
are engaging ourselves for life; are we marrying in the Lord, or 
unequally yoking ourselves with unbelievers ? " What doest thou here, 
Elijah?" 

Let us apply it to our recreations. Are they such as conduce to the 
health of the body, and accord with purity of mind ; or are they amuse- 
ments and dissipations which, if God should call us to account, would 
strike our consciences dumb ? 

Let us apply it to our stations. Are we abiding with God in our 
own callings, or are we acting out of our proper sphere of duty ? How 
many have injured, if not ruined, their usefulness and comfort, by im- 
proper removals, or striking their tent without the cloud ! 

Let us apply it to our religious services. We ought to have an aim 
in coming to his house. Happy they who, when they hear the inquiry, 
What doest thou here, Elijah? can say, Here I am, not from custom or 
curiosity, but to know what the Lord will speak ; and to see his power 
and his glory as I have seen him in the sanctuary. 



JUNE 29. . 303 

And let us remember that a false answer will be more than useless. 
We often assign a reason very different from the true one to an inquir- 
ing fellow-creature, and him we may deceive ; but God is not mocked. 



JUNE 29. 

" Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and 
hold not thy peace : for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee : for I 
have much people in this city." Acts 18 : 9, 10. 

The Lord is a very present help in trouble ; and before his people 
express their apprehensions, he foresees them, and effectually provides 
against them. 

It is obvious Paul was now depressed and discouraged. He had 
nature in him as well as grace. The Christian, and even the apostle, 
did not destroy the man. He had genius ; and not only great sensibil- 
ity, but a tinge of melancholy is perhaps inseparable from this endow- 
ment. He was also the subject of bodily enervation, and was now worn 
down, not only by constant preaching, but also by working manually 
day and night, to support himself and relieve others. In allusion to 
which, he says, in his letter to these Corinthians, " I was with you in 
weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling." Yea, he was now, it 
would seem, afraid of men, of suffering persecution, of death. Is this 
he that said, None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear 
to myself, so that I may finish my course with joy ? Yes. He then 
spoke sincerely, and according to the frame he was in. But what a 
change do we feel if the Lord hides his face, or faith fails, yea, or if 
there be only a variation in the humors of the body, or the state of the 
weather I 

The Lord therefore removes his fear by the assurance that no man 
should set upon him to hurt him ; for "He was with him, and had much 
work for him to do ;" so that even his destination secured him. And 
see how faithfully and remarkably this was accomplished. For though 
the place was so abandoned, and he had so many enemies, he continued 
there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them 
without any molestation. At length a storm arose, which tried his con- 
fidence in the promise. But it issued in the proof that the Saviour in 
whom he trusted was true and righteous altogether. For all the Jews 
in the city made a violent insurrection against Paul, and brought him 
before Gallio the deputy. But Gallio refused to take cognizance of 
the affair, and drove them from the judgment-seat. Upon which, pro- 
voked by his conduct, the Greeks, who had joined the Jews in this as- 
sault, fell upon Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him 
in sight of the bench. But Paul, on whose account the persecution 
was raised, was suffered to escape uninjured, and continued his labors a 
considerable time longer undisturbed, and at length withdrew from the 
place in peace. 

Is not this enough to prove that nothing is too hard for the Lord ; 









304 MORNING EXERCISES. 

that he can turn the shadow of death into the morning ; that our ene- 
mies, however numerous and malignant, are all under his control, and 
cannot move a hair's breadth beyond the length of the chain in which 
he holds them ? 

Do we not here see, that if we have his promise we have enough to 
establish, strengthen, settle us, whatever our difficulties and dangers 
may be? Heaven and earth may pass away, but his word cannot fail. 
If a child, even in the dark, feels his father's hand grasping his, and 
hears him say, I am with thee, fear not, he is calmed and confident. Yea, 
says David, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of cteath, I 
will fear no evil ; for thou art with me. He hath said, I will never leave 
thee, nor forsake thee; so that we may boldly say, The Lord is my 
helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. " Yea, in all 
these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us." 



JUNE 30. 

" There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God/' Psa. 46 : 4. 

TThat can this u river'"' be, but that blessed covenant to which David 
himself repaired in the time of trouble, and extolled beyond every other 
resource or delight ? Although my house be not so with God, yet hath 
he made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and 
sure ; for this is all my salvation and all my desire, although he make 
it not to grow. 

And what are " the streams " of this river, but the outgoings and 
effects of this divine constitution — the blood of Jesus, the influences of 
the Holy Spirit, the doctrines and promises of the gospel, the ordinances 
of religion, and all the means of grace ? 

There are four ways in which the streams of a river would gladden 
the citizens. They will all apply in a preeminent degree to the case 
before us. 

The first regards prospect. Nothing can be more pleasing or inter- 
esting to those who relish the simple beauties of nature, than to walk 
by the side of living streams ; to see the fish playing and disappearing ; 
the green weeds waving their long streamers in the water ; the reeds 
bending and recovering themselves again ; the rippling of the shallows, 
and the glassy reflections of the deeps, while the bushes and trees form 
a quivering shade on the banks. Here is enough to fix the tasteful 
mind, and to induce the poet to take out his pen, and the painter his 
pencil. "What views have Christians by the side of their streams! 
How various, how endearing, how impressive the objects which strike 
and occupy their minds ! " My meditation of him shall be sweet ; I will 
rejoice in the Lord." 

The second regards traffic. It is an unspeakable advantage to a 
place to be accessible by water, as it renders commerce not only prac- 
ticable, but easy and extensive. The Humber was the making of Hull. 
The Thames has rendered London so famous. Were this stream dried 



JUNE 30. 305 

up or diverted, how would the mistress of the nations be humbled and 
reduced ! It is owing to their trade carried on by the means of their 
rivers, that many cities on the Continent have united themselves to the 
ends of the earth, and acquired such distinction and wealth. And by 
these streams Christians obtain riches for the soul and eternity : un- 
searchable riches, durable riches, with righteousness. It is by these 
they carry on business with the land that is very far off, the merchan- 
dise of which is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain 
thereof than fine gold. 

The third regards fertility. Imagine a dry and barren land where 
no water is, and think what happiness would ensue if springs gushed 
forth from the sands, and meandered through meadows with grass and 
reeds and rushes. Lot chose the plain country, the vale of Sodom, near 
Jordan, because it was well watered, like the garden of the Lord. Did 
you never read the words of Balaam in describing the blessedness of 
Israel ? " As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the riv- 
er's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the Lord hath planted, and as 
cedar-trees beside the waters." "What is a tree planted by the rivers 
"of waters, bringing forth fruit in its season, and with never-withering 
leaves, but a Christian by these streams, growing in the divine life, 
adorned with the graces of the Spirit, and filled with all the fruits of 
righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the praise and glory of 
God? 

The fourth regards supply. What could a city do without this pre- 
cious, all-important fluid? An enemy therefore always endeavors to 
cut off the water, to compel a place the more suddenly and speedily to 
surrender. Hence the boast of Rabshakeh : " With the sole of my 
foot I have dried up all the rivers of the besieged places." This shall 
never be the case here. Your resources can never fail. Your relief 
can never be cut off. You have always access to the God of all grace. 
And how superior are your supplies ! How free ; how full ; how satis- 
fying! "Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of 
this water shall thirst again : but whosoever drinketh of the water 
that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall 
give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting 
life.' - ' 

Are you asking, Who will show us any good ? Let the subject sup- 
ply an answer. Oh, there is, there is a river, the streams whereof make 
glad the city of God. Forsake the foolish, and live, and go in the 
way of understanding. Leave the world, and enter the church. 
There — how unlike creatures, who are all vanity and vexation of 
spirit — there you will find a Saviour full of grace and truth. Ac- 
quaint now thyself with him, and be at peace ; thereby good shall come 
unto thee. 

my soul, am I the subject of this happiness? Let me give proof 
of it. Let me be a witness for God. Let me exemplify his word. Let 
me convince others that there is a reality, an excellency, a blessedness 

Morn.Exer. 20 



306 MORNING EXERCISES. 

in the religion of Jesus that can set the heart at rest, and yield a joy- 
unspeakable and full of glory. 

The pleasures of which we have been speaking are the pleasures of 
the way. What will be those of the end ! 

" If such the sweetness of the streams, 
What must the fountain be, 
Where saints and angels draw their bliss 
Immediately from thee !" 



JULY 1. 

" I beseech thee, show me thy glory." Exod. 33 : 18. 

This prayer was not entirely proper. It would seem that Moses 
desired some visible display of Deity, or some kind of representation 
of Him. And so far it was refused. " He said, Thou canst not see my 
face : for there shall no man see me, and live. Behold, there is a place 
by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock : and it shall come to pass, 
while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, 
and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by : and v I will take 
away my hand, and thou shalt see my back parts ; but my face shall 
not be seen.' 7 

Here we perceive our weakness, even physically considered. How 
little can we sustain ! When Daniel only saw an angel, he fell into a 
deep sleep. John, at the sight of Him, on whose bosom he had often 
leaned, fell at his feet as dead. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the 
kingdom of God. Neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 

We cannot go on well till God has gained our full confidence. Let 
us never suppose that he denies us any thing from an insufficiency to 
give, or from a grudging disposition. "He that spared not his own 
Son, but delivered him up for us all ; how shall he not with him also 
freely give us all things ?" The very same principle that leads him to 
give us some things, induces him to withhold others — a regard to our 
safety and happiness. 

Had the Lord yielded all the wish of Moses, Moses would have been 
destroyed upon the spot. He therefore rejects what was evil in it, but 
grants what was good : "I will make all my goodness pass before thee ; 
and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee ; and will be gra- 
cious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will 
show mercy." We are morally defective, and our infirmities appear 
even in our prayers. We know not what to pray for as we ought. 
What would be the consequence if all our desires were accomplished ? 
It is our privilege that God is as wise as he is kind. He knows what 
is really good for us, and answers us not according to our wishes, but 
our wants, and according to what we ourselves should only pray for, if 
we were alive to our real welfare, and always knew what it includes. 

Thus qualified, we cannot do better than to make this prayer our 



JULY 2. 307 

own, and desire God to show us his glory. For he alone can do it 
efficiently. As the sun can only be seen by his own shining, so God 
can only be known by his own revealing ; in his light we see light. 
But we have every encouragement we could desire, if we seek the dis- 
covery from him. If any lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth 
to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. 
Then shall ye know, if ye follow on to know the Lord. 

Let us pray, therefore, that he would show us more of his glory ; 
more of it in his works ; more of it in his ways ; more of it in his dis- 
pensations and ordinances ; and above all, more of it in the face of 
Jesus Christ. 

Nor let us ever think we do not stand in need of more. For 
who expressed this desire? A man who had been indulged already 
beyond any of his fellow-creatures. Yet, after communications the 
most deep and extensive ; after being inspired to write Scripture ; 
after beholding God in the burning bush ; after talking with him as a 
man talketh with his friend, so far is he from being satisfied, that his 
soul is drawn forth after more acquaintance with him ; and he, even he 
cries, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. Behold another instance. 
Paul, after all his intimacies with the Lord Jesus for many years, cries, 
"That I may know him!" But who is Moses? Who is Paul? 
I Which things the angels desired to look into." 

Yet some are so perfectly indifferent to the subject of this prayer, 
that they say unto God, " Depart from us, for we desire not the know- 
ledge of thy ways." Spiritual darkness is the forerunner and pledge 
of eternal. "If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost." 
"Because they are a people of no understanding, therefore he that 
made them will not have mercy on them ; and he that formed them 
will show them no favor." 



JULY 2. 



" From thence they went to Beer : that is the well whereof the Lord spake unto 
Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water. Then Israel sang this 
song, Spring up, well ; sing ye unto it : the princes digged the well, the nobles of the 
people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their' staves. And from the wil- 
derness they went to Mattanah : and from Mattanah to Xahaliel : and from Nahaliel to 
Bamoth." Num. 21 : 16-19. 

Beer was a pleasing station to the Jews, and it is a very instructive 
one to us. They here came into a dry place, but they neither rebelled 
nor murmured against God, or his servant Moses. 

See, first, how easily the Lord can supply the wants of his people. 
" Gather the people together, and I w r ill give them water." Not only 
is every good gift and every perfect gift from above, but all our temporal 
comforts come from the hand of God. We are not to look for miracles, 
but we may be assured that his word can be accomplished without 
them : " For sooner all nature shall change, than one of God's promises 
fail." And he has said, " Thy bread shall be given thee ; and thy water 



308 MORNING EXERCISES. 

shall be sure."' And what lie has promised, he is able also to perform. 
Let us not limit the Holy One of Israel. Nothing is too hard for him. 
He can turn the shadow of death into the morning. Jehovah-jireh ! the 
Lord will provide. ' ; When the poor and needy seek water, and there 
is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, 
I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high 
places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys : I will make the wil- 
derness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water." 

Secondly, see how want endears our blessings. " Then Israel sang 
this song, Spring up, well ; sing ye unto it." We feel unthankful 
for this precious fluid because it is so common, and we have never been 
deprived of it. Had we gone several days in a wilderness without it, 
how should we have exulted and praised God at the sight of a refresh- 
ing supply. It is thus, by their removal or suspension, we are taught 
the worth of our comforts. How is liberty prized and enjoyed after 
bondage ; and health after sickness ; and spring after winter ; and 
morning after night. We become indifferent to the means of grace. 
By a change of residence, or by accident or disease, we are deprived of 
the privileges of the sanctuary. Then we remember these things, and 
pour out our souls in us, for we had gone with the multitude ; we went 
with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and gladness, with 
a multitude that kept holy day. Oh, says David, when he was faint, 
that one would give me to drink of the water of the well that is by the 
gate of Bethlehem ! And were we equally athirst spiritually, how 
should we long for the well of salvation, and say, 

" Thou of life the fountain art ; 
Freely let me take of thee : 
Spring thou up within my heart, 
Rise to all eternity." 

Thirdly, his agency does not exclude or supersede our instrumen- 
tality. " The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged 
it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves." God filled it, 
but they digged it. This was their part. This they could do ; and 
why should God have exempted them from it ? He gives the increase, 
but Paul must plant and Apollos water. He furnishes the wind, but 
we are to spread the sails. He gives, but we gather. Prayer and dil- 
igence, dependence and activity, harmonize in the Scripture, and are 
only inconsistent in the crude minds of ignorant and foolish men. Paul 
makes divine influence not an excuse for the neglect of means, but a 
motive and encouragement to the use of them : u Work out your own 
salvation with fear and trembling ; for it is God who worketh in you 
both to will and to do of his good pleasure." 

Fourthly, however pleasing any of our present stations are, we must, 
if we are the Israel of God, leave them. {; And from the wilderness 
they went to ITattanah : and from Mattanah to Nahaliel : and from 
Nahaliel to Bamoth." The part they left is called indeed the wilder- 
ness ; and so it was ; but it was good for them to be there. There 



JULY 3. 309 

they had witnessed proofs of the power and goodness of God, and there 
they had enjoyed a time of refreshing from his presence. But they had 
compassed the place long enough, and decamping from this loved scene, 
had to journey on in the desert. Here also Christians have their indul- 
gences. But these are designed not to induce them to tarry, but to 
encourage them to advance. In the midst of their enjoyments a voice 
cries, " Arise ye, and depart hence ; for this is not your rest." 

These people would have been the more willing to move, because 
they knew they were moving towards Canaan, a better country, the 
end and aim of their journey, and because they were under the direc- 
tion of God, as their guide, and who would never leave them nor for- 
sake them. So it should be with us. 



JULY 3. 

* Faint — " J ud ges 8 : 4. 

What war is there that has in it nothing to depress, nothing to 
animate, and that does not furnish a diversity of feelings in those who 
carry it on ? 

Christians resemble these followers of Gideon and pursuers of the 
Amalekites — faint, yet pursuing. 

Yes ; while engaged in this good fight of faith, they may he faint. 
We need not wonder at this, if we consider the enemies they have to 
vanquish. These are, bodily appetites, filthiness of spirit, a depraved 
nature, all sin and error, the present evil world, the devil, and his an- 
gels. If we also consider the qualities of their adversaries, their num- 
ber, their malignity, their power, their policy, their success, for they 
have cast down many mighty, yea, many strong men have been slain by 
them. When we think of the heroes, the statesmen, the princes, the 
philosophers, the divines, and all the myriads they have enslaved and 
destroyed, who is not ready to tremble, and exclaim, " I shall one day 
perish !" 

There is also the length of the service. It is not for a season only, 
but for life. We are not allowed to receive any proposals of peace. 
We cannot enter into a truce, no, not even to bury the dead. Let the 
dead bury their dead. We are to fight on through summer and winter, 
by day and night, in every situation and condition. He that endureth 
to the end, the same only shall be saved. In conversion we throw 
away the scabbard ; in death only we lay down the sword. While we 
are here, something is still to be done, something still to be avoided, in 
company, in solitude, in health, in sickness. And is it nothing to watch 
in all things ; to pray without ceasing ; in every thing to give thanks ; 
to be always abounding in the work of the Lord ? 

There are also occasional difficulties too common to be overlooked. 
It is easy to suppose a few of them. What marvel if the soldier is 
faint, when the road is rough and thorny, and the weather is warm and 
oppressive — and he hungers and thirsts for want of seasonable refresh- 



310 MORNING EXERCISES. 

ments and supplies, which are interrupted, if not cut off — and he feels a 
loss of strength, occasioned by a wound from without, or an indisposi- 
tion from within? Is this talking parables? There is not a Christian 
on earth whose religious experience will not easily explain it. 

And if this, therefore, be my experience, let me remember that there 
is nothing ominous nor even peculiar in it. Every subject of divine 
grace is well acquainted with the heart's bitterness, and must know it. 
or much of the Scripture could not be applied to him, either in a way 
of description or comfort. 

And let me be thankful that to will is present with me, though how 
to perform that which is good I find not. If I faint, I do not flee. 
Faint, yet pursuing. 

JULY 4. 

" . . . . Yet pursuing." Judges 8 : 4. 

The life and experience of the Christian are full of contrasts. He 
resembles the bush of Moses, which was seen burning, but not consumed. 
And his language is, Cast down, but not destroyed ; sorrowful, yet al- 
ways rejoicing ; as dying, and behold, we live. We are now viewing 
him as a soldier. In our last page we saw him faint, but we shall now 
find him, amidst all that is grievous, feeling no disposition to give up. 
Faint, yet pursuing. 

And there is much to encourage and animate him. There is some- 
thing in himself, and which is nothing less than a principle of divine 
grace. Every thing else will decline when it meets with its proper 
temptation. Natural and merely moral resources are as the morning 
cloud and the early dew, which soon passeth away. But we are confi- 
dent of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in us, 
will perform it. That which is divine is durable, is invincible. That 
which is born of God, overcometh the world. 

There is also much to encourage him in his cause. It is a good 
warfare. It will bear examination. Conscience entirely approves of 
it. Angels applaud it. There is therefore nothing to make us waver 
or hesitate. Every thing in the conflict feeds courage. We ought to 
engage and persevere. It is the cause of truth, of righteousness, of 
glory, of real glory. It would be more honorable to be foiled in this 
cause than to conquer in any other. 

There is also much in his Leader and Commander. Some chiefs 
have so attached and inspired their troops, that they would plunge into 
any enterprise, or follow them into any danger. It was said proverbi- 
ally at Rome, that it was unbecoming a Roman soldier to fear while 
Caesar was alive. It is much more unworthy a Christian soldier to fear 
while Christ is alive ; for, because, says he, I live, ye shall live also. 
When Antigonus heard some of his troops rather despondingly say, 
How many are coming against us? he asked, But, my soldiers, how 
many do you reckon me for ? And whenever we think of our foes, and 



JULY 5. 311 

then of the Captain of our salvation, we may truly say, More are they 
that be with us than they, that be with them. Greater is He that is in 
us than he that is in the world. Who goes before us ? Who teaches 
our hands to war, and our fingers to fight ? Who provides for us ? 
Who renews our strength? What limits have his wisdom and power? 
Did he ever lose an action yet, or a single private in his army? 

And let me think of the certainty of the issue. Fear unnerves : but 
it would make a hero of a coward to assure him in the conflict that he 
should overcome. This can rarely or never be done in other conten- 
tions, for nothing is so doubtful as the result of battle. Prudence there- 
fore says, Let not him that putteth on the harness boast himself like 
him that putteth it off. But the Christian enters the field under pecul- 
iar advantage. However trying or lengthened the struggle may be, 
he fights not uncertainly. Yea, in all these things we are more than 
conquerors. 

For what will be the result of success? What do other victors 
gain? How precarious, how unsatisfying, how poor, how mean the 
rewards of the world's warriors, compared with the acquisitions of the 
good soldiers of Jesus Christ ! " He that overcometh shall inherit all 
things." 

JULY 5. 

" Submit yourselves to God." James 4 : 7. 

This is the great thing. This is the excellency, the essence, the 
proof of religion. God is our Saviour, our Lawgiver, our Disposer. 
Under each of these characters his people are made willing to submit 
to him in the day of his power. And nothing but the efficiency of 
divine grace can influence a man cordially to resign himself to God in 
all these relations. 

We must submit ourselves to God as the Saviour. Here our concern 
with him begins, and here it must begin. We are condemned ; and the 
first thing is to obtain deliverance. We are diseased and dying ; and the 
first thing we want is the physician and the remedy. When therefore 
the Jews asked our Lord, What must we do, that we may work the 
works of God ? " This," said he, " is the work of God, that ye believe 
on him whom he hath sent." When the jailer asked Paul and Silas 
what he should do to be saved, they said unto him, " Believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ." God is a sovereign, at whose mercy we absolutely lie. 
We have no claims upon him, and it is wonderful that he is disposed to 
undertake our case at all. But he requires us to submit, and never will 
allow us to prescribe. He will have the entire management of our 
case, or he will have nothing to do with it. And it might be supposed 
that there would be no great difficulty here. But men are not sensible 
of their condition and danger, and there is much in the nature and man- 
ner of this salvation that is not palatable to the pride of the human heart. 
No court is paid to our reason, but we are required to trust in a plan 
concerning which we have never been consulted ; and even to become 



312 MORNING EXERCISES. 

fools, that we may be wise. However decent and moral our character 
has been, we must be content to enter into life in the very same way 
with the chief of sinners. We must renounce our own righteousness, 
and plead for acceptance as guilty. We must depend on another for 
all our strength. We must acknowledge that all we have is from the 
exceeding riches of his grace, and be crying to the last, " Not unto us, 

Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and 
for thy truth's sake." 

But to this every awakened and humbled sinner is brought. And 
his submission is not the effect of necessity only. It is accompanied 
with acquiescence and approbation. He sees a consistency and an 
excellency in it that delight him, while they relieve. And though he 
knows there is no other way, yet if there were a thousand other ways, 
he would turn from them all, and say, God forbid that I should glory, 
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We must submit ourselves to him as the lawgiver, and be willing to 
live not to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. He only is the 
author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. We cannot 
love him till we hope in his mercy, nor run in the ways of his command- 
ments till we are freed from the load of guilt and terror — a burden too 
heavy for us to bear. But faith is followed by love, and love by obedi- 
ence. We are delivered from the hand of our enemies, says Zechariah, 
not to be lawless, but to serve Him who has made us free, without fear, 
in holiness and righteousness, before him all the days of our lives. Our 
obligations are infinitely increased by redeeming grace and dying love. 
And every believer feels them, and acknowledges that he is not his 
own : for he is bought with a price, and bound to glorify God in his 
body and in his spirit, which are God's. The love of sin, as well as 
the love of self, is subdued in him ; and he gratefully asks, " What shall 

1 render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me ?" " Lord, what 
wilt thou have me to do ?" He finds his yoke easy. He accounts his 
service to be the truest freedom. He cannot, indeed, do the things 
which he would • and this is his grief : but he delights in the law of 
God after the inward man. He would not bring down the divine com- 
mands to his deficiencies, but longs to rise to the level of their perfec- 
tion. And though he is full of complaining, it is of the servant and 
not of the Master. He always speaks well of his name, and recom- 
mends him to others. 

We must also submit to him as our disposer, and be willing that he 
should choose our inheritance for us. Man naturally loves independ- 
ence ; he wishes to be at his own control, and to have the management 
of events, both as they affect others and himself. Many also who talk 
much of the providence of God, are constantly striving with it. Hence 
they envy the success of their fellow-creatures, and are discontented 
and repining when things do not fall out according to their mind. And 
especially under their trials, they think God deals improperly with 
them, and so charge him foolishly or unkindly. 



JULY 6. 313 

This temper is at least dethroned in the Christian, and he is dis- 
posed to say, " Here I am ; let him do what seemeth him good." I am 
ignorant, and liable to be imposed upon, but He is all-wise ; and by not 
sparing his own Son for me, he has justified the implicit confidence of 
my heart. Let him therefore determine the bounds of my habitation, 
and arrange all the events of my condition. If things are not such as 
I had wished and reckoned upon, I have no reason to complain. He 
has a right to do what he will with his own, and he always uses it in a 
way the most conducive to my welfare. How often have I desired him 
to undertake and act for me. And when he complies, is it for me to 
murmur and dispute j or say unto him, What doest thou? 



JULY 6. 



""What went ye out into the wilderness to see?" Matt. 11 : 7. 

These are the words of Jesus to the multitude concerning John, to 
whose preaching they had repaired. " There were many of you, and 
persons of all ranks and conditions, and some from a great distance. 
What did you think of the preacher ? What induced you to attend his 
ministry? Surely you have some reason for it, some design in it. What 
was it?" 

May we not learn from hence that we should always have an end 
in view in repairing to the ordinances of religion, and be able to 
answer the question, Why we attend the ministrations of the word? 

This becomes us even as men. Men ought not to act at random, or 
like the inferior creatures, who are led by blind impulse or instinct, 
without reflection or motive. They, as the Scripture says, have no 
understanding : and must be governed and guided by those above 
them. But God teaches us more than the beasts of the field, and mak- 
eth us wiser than the fowls of the air ; there is a spirit in man, and the 
inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understanding. And wherein 
is this preeminence to appear, but in our acting wisely and with design? 

We rise higher, and say, that without this we cannot please God. 
There can be nothing religious without design. Intention is essential to 
moral conduct. And though a good motive cannot sanctify a bad action, 
a bad motive will always vitiate a good action. The Pharisees fasted 
and prayed and gave alms, but it was to be seen of men ; and thus all 
was corrupted in its principle. 

Without an aim in our attendance, we have nothing to pray for 
before we go — nothing to make the subject bear upon while we are 
hearing — 'nothing by which to examine ourselves when we return. How 
can we decide whether our meeting together is for the better, or the 
worse ; whether we have failed in the opportunity, or succeeded ? Suc- 
cess is the accomplishment of an end, and must be judged of by it. 

A man that acts without an end, never acts in earnest. It is the 
end that stimulates zeal, that sweetens labor, that repays every expense. 



314 MORNING EXERCISES. 

What would induce a patient to the taking of medicine, or the losing 
of a limb, but the thought of restoring or preserving health and life? 

To finish the argument, the concern itself here should be taken into 
the account. In common and trivial matters, we may act without motive ; 
but in momentous ones, every kind of deliberation is wisdom. And how 
important is our attendance on the word of life ! It regards God, and 
the soul, and eternity. Its consequences will remain for ever. It must 
furnish the most awful part of our future account. We forget these 
exercises, but they are all recorded in the book of God's remembrance. 
We have soon clone with the sermon, but the sermon has not done with 
us till it has judged us at the last day. What an insult is offered to 
God, to come before him, and by an appearance of devotion, to call forth 
his attention, when in reality we have nothing to do with him ! What 
a trifling is it with divine things ! And what can be so dangerous as 
this? It impairs the conscience ; it deadens moral sensibility ; it ren- 
ders the means of grace unimpressive by familiarity ; it provokes God 
to withhold or withdraw the influence that is essential to their success. 

But admitting that we always ought to have an end in view, what 
ought that end to be? Not curiosity and amusement. This was the 
case with Ezekiel's hearers. They went to his preaching as persons go 
to a concert. He was to them as a pleasant song. 

Not criticism and cavilling. Many are wiser than their teachers. 
They come to judge, not to learn ; and make a man an offender for a 
word. Many came to our Saviour to " catch him in his talk." 

Not any outward advantage. A man, by his attending the gospel, 
may secure himself reputation, business, or friendship. This is trading 
in divine things. And what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he 
hath gained, when God taketh away his soul ? 

Not the quieting of conscience. Some are at ease in Zion, because 
they hear the word of truth, though they do it not. But the apostle 
tells us they deceive their own selves ; and our Lord calls them fools, 
because they build upon the sand. 

But the end should be, to obtain the conversion of the soul to God. 
This is the very design of the ministry itself. And how many have we 
known, since we attended the word, who have been turned from the 
error of their ways into the path of peace! Has faith come to us by 
hearing? Has this efficacy ever been our aim, our wish, our prayer? 

It should also be, to gain all needful instruction. This was the case 
with many who came to hear John. The people, the publicans, and the 
soldiers severally said to him, "And what shall we do?" They did not 
inquire after the duty of others, but after their own. David went to 
inquire in God's temple, and said, I will hear what God the Lord will 
speak. The best disposition we can go in, is when we have no partiali- 
ties, and can sincerely ask, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? not 
shunning to hear all the counsel of God, or counting the preacher our 
enemy because he tells us the truth. 

It should be to have divine things reapplied and reimpressed. If 



JULY 1. 315 

we do not want new information, it is desirable to be reminded of for- 
gotten truth, and to have our knowledge reduced to experience and 
practice. The principle of divine grace cannot be lost. But what 
changes do believers feel in their frames • how often do their souls cleave 
unto the dust! And here they obtain quickening, according to his 
word. And by waiting upon him their strength is renewed. 

It should be also to aid in upholding the public means of grace for 
the advantage of others. How adapted to usefulness is the institution 
of preaching ! We may judge what a neighborhood would be without 
the ministry of the word, when we see what it is even with it. Here 
are always to be heard calls to repentance, and proclamations of par- 
don. Here are always furnished solace to the afflicted, and excitement 
to the careless. 

It is lamentable that so little of this spirit is to be found in the 
midst of so much hearing as there is in our day. We read of a con- 
course of people in the Acts, occasioned by the clamor of Demetrius, 
of whom it is said, " Some cried one thing, and some another : for the 
assembly was confused ; and the more part knew not wherefore they 
were come together.' 7 With the exception of the crying out, this is a 
fair representation of many a religious audience. A few are informed 
and principled, but the mass have no aim, or an improper one. 

In another view, it is pleasing to see a place filled with hearers. 
They are in the way, and God may meet with them. His grace is sov- 
ereign and free. Some who came with no serious design, have been 
convinced of all, and judged of all ; and confessed that God was in the 
midst of them, of a truth. Yet his sovereignty is not our rule, but our 
resource. What he may do, is one thing ; what he will do, is another. 
He has said, " Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." And 
though he is sometimes found of them that seek him not, he is always 
found of them that seek him. 



JULY 7. 



"0 wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" 
Rom. 1 : 24. 

It is commonly supposed that here is a reference to a cruel usage 
sometimes practised by the tyrants of antiquity, and which is mentioned 
by Virgil and Cicero and Valerius Maximus. It consisted in fastening 
a dead carcass to a living man. Now suppose a dead body bound to 
your body, its hands to your hands, its face to your face, its lips to your 
lips. Here is not only a burden, but an offence. You cannot separate 
yourself from your hated companion ; it lies down, and rises up, and 
walks with you. You cannot breathe without inhaling a kind of pes- 
tilence, and, "Oh," you would say, "Oh how slowly the parts corrupt 
and fall off! Oh, how can I longer endure it? When shall I be free? 
wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this 



316 MORNING EXERCISES. 

death ?" This is very strong, but it comes not up to Paul's case. He 
is speaking of such a wretchedness not without him, but within. 

Whatever we may think of this allusion, here is a representation of 
the sin that dwelleth in us ; it is the body of this death, or, as it is in 
the margin, this body of death. It is called a body, to intimate the 
entireness and universality of the evil. Thus we call a code of laws a 
body of laws, and a system of divinity a body of divinity. And it is a 
body of death, to mark its malignant effect. Gunpowder is a body of 
destruction ; arsenic is a body of poison ; sin is a body of death. It 
brought death into the world. It has slain all the inhabitants of the 
earth, and will soon slay us. It has brought upon us spiritual, as well 
as corporeal death. And it produces a deadness even in the souls of 
believers, and hinders the operation of those vital principles which they 
have received from above. By this baneful influence, the tendencies of 
the divine life in them, which are so glorious, are chilled and checked ; 
and therefore they are frequently wandering in meditation, and stupid 
in reading and hearing, and insensible in prayer, and dull even in 
praise ; till roused by reflection, they cry, My soul cleaveth to the 
dust ; quicken thou me according to thy word. 

For there are remains of this evil even in the subjects of divine 
grace. None of them are free. In many things, says James, we offend 
all. In all our doings, says the church, our sins do appear. My tears, 
says Beveridge, require to be washed in the blood of Christ, and my 
repentance needs to be repented of. Those who could die for the Sav- 
iour have used the most humbling language with regard to themselves. 
Sometimes, says Bradford, my God, there seems to be no difference 
between me and the wicked ; my understanding seems as dark as theirs, 
and my will as perverse as theirs, and my heart as hard as theirs. 
Yea, says Paul, at the end of so many years of advancement, I have 
not attained, I am not already perfect. After this, " Who can say, I 
have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin ?" 

But observe the distress this remaining corruption occasions them. 
It is their chief burden and grief. Oh wretched man that I am ! who 
shall deliver me from this body of death? Paul never said any thing 
like this of any of his sufferings. Yet he was a great sufferer ; he suf- 
fered the loss of all things : he was once stoned, thrice he suffered ship- 
wreck, thrice he was beaten with rods, five times he received forty stripes 
save one ; he was in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft : yet so far 
from groaning and complaining, he tells us he took pleasure in all this, 
because it was for Christ's sake. And it is a sad evidence against us, if 
we are more affected with our calamities than with our corruptions. 
We are not required to be Stoics ; we may feel our sufferings. But 
there is something we shall feel more, if we are in a right state of mind, 
namely, an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. 

The people of the world judge of Christians by their own views 
and feelings, and because they love sin, and would deem the liberty to 
indulge in it a privilege, they think Christians are disposed to take 



JULY 8. 317 

every advantage fo.r the same purpose. But how shall they who are 
dead to sin live any longer therein? Sin is their abhorrence, and at 
the foot of the cross they have sworn to have indignation against it for 
ever. They have a new nature, and as far as they are sanctified, there 
is as perfect a contrariety between them and sin as between darkness 
and light. Hence the contest within. The flesh lusteth against the 
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh ; and these being contrary the 
one to the other, they cannot do the things that they would. And will 
not this be painful ? If a mechanic longed to excel in his workman- 
ship, and an enemy stood by and marred every thing before he put it 
out of his hand, would not this be vexatious ? Would not a man in a 
journey of importance, and anxious above all things to speed his way, 
feel a hinderance that would impede him for an hour, more than an 
idler would the loss of a day? He that delights in neatness will suf- 
fer more from a single stain, than another would from wearing a filthy 
garment. Because their sentiments are evangelical, their enemies seem 
to think their feelings must be Antinomian ; but though this may not 
be made plain to others, their doctrinal views befriend holiness, and 
with their mind they serve the law of God ; yea, they delight in the law 
of God after the inward man. The goodness of God leadeth them to 
repentance. His love is shed abroad in their hearts, and they love him 
in return. They grieve to think they serve him so defectively, and 
have still in them so much of that which he infinitely hates. How pain- 
ful to think, that while they repose upon his bosom they should often 
pierce it too ! 

In a word, while many would represent the Christian, if not an 
enemy to holiness and good works, yet too indifferent to their claims, 
he is abasing himself before God for the hidden evils of his heart ; and 
is more affected with his sins of infirmity than his revilers are with sins 
of profligacy and presumption. Thus you may drive a sword through 
the body of a dead man, and no muscle moves ; while the puncture of 
a thorn will pain a living one all over. 



JULY 8. 

" But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified." 1 Con. 6 : 11. 

We consider the word "washed" as a general term, comprehending 
a twofold cleansing, a cleansing from the guilt, and a cleansing from 
the pollution of sin. It would be easy to show that in the Scripture it 
is used in both these senses. The two added articles, therefore, are 
explanatory of its meaning here. Ye are washed ; that is, ye are sanc- 
tified and justified. 

What we wish to observe is, that both these are found in the same 
subjects. Justification and sanctification should be always discrimi- 
nated, but they must never be disunited. Where they are not distin- 
guished, a religious system cannot be clear ; and where they are di- 
vided, it can never be safe. Where they are not distinguished, law and 



318 MORXIXG EXERCISES. 

gospel, free will and free grace, the merit of man and the righteousness 
of Christ, run into a mass of confusion and disorder. And where they 
are divided, Pharisaic pride, or Antinomian presumption, will be sure 
to follow. 

Be it remembered, then, that the one regards something done for 
us ; the other, something done in us. The one is a relative, the other a 
personal change. The one a change in our state, the other in our na- 
ture. The one is perfect at once, the other is gradual. The one is 
derived from the obedience of the Saviour, the other from his Spirit. 
The one gives us a title to heaven, the other a meetness for it. 

But let us not forget their union. It is supposed that this was typ- 
ified in the dying of the Lord Jesus, when from his pierced side there 
came forth blood and water ; the one to atone, the other to purify. But 
not to lay too much stress on a historical incident, and which can be 
physically accounted for, the truth to which we allude is most expressly 
asserted in the word of God. ' ; If any man be in Christ, he is a new 
creature : old things are passed away ; behold, all things are become 
new." " There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, 
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." TTe need one as 
well as the other. And if we were not sanctified as well as justified, 
we could neither serve God properly, nor enjoy him. Suppose an un- 
renewed man pardoned : he would be no more able to see the kingdom 
of God than before, but would feel the company, the pleasures, and em- 
ployments of the state uncongenial and irksome. Or suppose you had 
a son. and you forbade him to enter a place of contagion, on pain of 
losing all you could leave him. He goes, and is seized with the infec- 
tion. He thus is not only guilty, by transgressing your command, but 
he is also diseased. And do you not perceive, that your forgiving him 
does not heal him? He wants not only the father's pardon, but the 
physician's aid ; and in vain he is freed from the forfeiture of his estate, 
if he be left under the power of his disorder. 

Let us therefore judge of the one by the other, and make our elec- 
tion by making our calling sure. To be justified freely from all things, 
to have passed from death unto life, and never to come into condemna- 
tion again, is a privilege of infinite value, and there is a possibility of 
knowing that it belongs to us. But how is it to be known ? Not by 
an audible voice from heaven, as the woman heard : " Thy sins are for- 
given thee." Xot by a sudden impulse, or working the mind into a 
persuasion which we are unable to justify. For the very thing to be 
determined is, whether this confidence be a good hope through grace, or 
a mere presumption. If the confidence itself were sufficient, the Antino- 
mian would be surer than the Christian ; but he has a lie in his right 
hand. The sacred writers do not consider this certainty of mind as 
self-proved, nor regard all apprehensions as to our state unbelief. They 
tell us to " fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, 
any of us should seem to come short of it." They call upon us to " ex- 
amine ourselves, whether we be in the faith," and to " prove our own 



JULY 9. 319 

selves." "We know," says John, "that we have passed from death 
unto life, because we love the brethren." " Hereby we know that he 
abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us." This is the way, 
walk ye in it. What is the spirit which he hath given you ? Does it 
convince of sin ? Does it cause you to hunger and thirst after right- 
eousness? Does it glorify Christ? 

It is true that our souls are justified by faith, but faith is justified by 
works. Has this promise been fulfilled in us : " Then will I sprinkle 
clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean : from all your filthiness, 
and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. And I will put my spirit 
within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my 
judgments, and do them?" As far as we are strangers to this practice 
and to these dispositions, whatever our knowledge or our assurance may 
be, we ought to tremble. For -though the grace of God finds us sinners, 
it does not leave us such. While it " bringeth salvation," it teaches us 
" that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, 
righteously, and godly, in this present world ; looking for that blessed 
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour 
Jesus Christ ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from 
all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good 
works." 



JULY 9. 



"And it came to pass, that as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one 
of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." 
Luke 11 : 1. 

Though " one" of his disciples only said this, we have no reason to 
think the rest differed from him in sentiment. He was the mouth for 
them all. When our Lord said to the twelve, Will ye also go away? 
Peter answered — but it was in the name of his brethren, and expressed 
the conviction of each of them — " Lord, to whom shall we go ? Thou 
hast the words of eternal life." It is very probable he was the speaker 
here, for his heart was always very near his lips. But whoever the 
speaker was, every thing here was praiseworthy. 

I admire his decorum. Some are satisfied with the moralities of 
conduct ; but there are the proprieties too, and these are not to be over- 
looked. " Let every thing be done," says the Scripture, " decently, and 
in order." This should be peculiarly the case in our holy assemblies. 
Let us guard against every thing that is unseemly and disturbing. Let 
us avoid coughing as much as we can. Let us not look and stare all 
over the house of God. Let us not talk, or whisper. Let us beware of 
coming in during the service. How painful and injurious is it to the 
preacher and worshipper to be interrupted and diverted in those sacred 
moments in which we ought to attend on the Lord without distraction. 
Observe these disciples. They surrounded our Saviour while he was 
engaged, but with breathless silence, and did not break in upon his 
devotions, but waited till he had " ceased praying." 



320 MORNING EXERCISES. 

I admire his emulation. Haying heard his Master, he began to say, 
Well, this is prayer. What dignity, what wisdom, what reverence, 
what submission, what fervor are here ! According to this, we have 
never prayed yet. Lord, teach us to pray. Indeed, the more we attend 
on him in any thing, the less shall we think of ourselves. The beams 
of this Sun will soon darken our tapers. 

I admire his wish to resemble what he so much admired. We 
should always endeavor to improve by the superior endowments and 
excellences of others. These should not excite envy, or yield discour- 
agement, but excite to imitation. What others are, they are by grace ; 
and when we see how any of our fellow- Christians bear prosperity, or 
endure affliction, or fill up their stations, we should be anxious to follow 
them, even as they follow Christ. 

I admire his spiritual wisdom. Some wish to resemble others in 
worldly possessions, or bodily qualities, or mental endowments and 
acquisitions. But it is better to resemble them in grace than in any of 
these. Many would rule, or compose, or speak like others ; but the 
thing is, to pray like them. It is by prayer we hold communion with 
God. It is by this we unlock all his treasures. He that knows how 
to pray, has the secret of safety in prosperity, and of support in trouble. 
He has the art of overruling every enemy, and of turning every loss 
into a gain. He has the power of soothing every care, of subduing 
every passion, of adding a relish to every enjoyment ; the merchandise 
of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than 
much fine gold. Many things are good for me, but none so good as to 
draw nigh to God. 

I admire his humility. He is convinced that they are not sufficient 
of themselves for the duty, but need divine aid. We want instruction 
in every thing. The way of man is not in himself j it is not in man 
that walketh to direct his steps ; but we peculiarly need guidance here. 
The Spirit helpeth our infirmities, says the apostle, for we know not 
what to pray for as we ought. The best of men have erred in their 
prayers. Take my life from me, says Elijah, in the very midst of his 
usefulness. I beseech thee, says Moses, show me thy glory. You ask 
for death, says God ; for no man can see me, and live. " James and 
John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would 
that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. And he said 
unto them, What would ye that I should do for you ? They said unto 
him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the 
other on thy left hand, in thy glory. But Jesus said unto them, Ye 
know not what ye ask : can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and 
be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with ?" What would 
children be — how miserable, how useless, what burdens to themselves, 
and what plagues to others, if they had whatsoever they desired ! As 
to temporal blessings, it is hard to distinguish between our real and our 
imaginary wants, and between what is pleasing and what is profitable. 
And even as to spiritual things, we never see their beauty and glory, so 



JULY 10. 321 

as to desire them supremely, till the Lord teaches us to profit. Nor do 
we know of ourselves how to come before the Lord, and deal concern- 
ing them. Under a sense of guilt, and a concern to obtain acceptance, 
what strange expedients do we often adopt, and what a self-righteous 
traffic do we carry on, before we come with the blood of sprinkling, and 
make mention of his righteousness only ! "We may also err as to our 
end and aim. We often ask, and receive not, because we ask amiss, 
that we may consume it upon our lusts. 

" An easy thing to pray !" Who that has made the trial, and is 
concerned for the result of it, but exclaims, with Elihu, " Teach us what 
we shall say unto Him ; for we cannot order our speech by reason of 
darkness," or, with the disciples, " Lord, teach us to pray ?" 



JULY 10. 

" Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." 2 Cor. 9 : 15. 

We have always been accustomed to think of Christ when these 
words are pronounced, and we are not disposed to give up this applica- 
tion without necessity. And we see no such necessity if we appeal to 
authority ; for, not to mention many of the ancients, this application is 
supported by many of the moderns also — by a Henry, a Scott, a Dod- 
dridge. And we see no such necessity if we refer to the writer of the 
words. Paul's mind was full of Christ ; the love of Christ constrained 
him ; and nothing is more common in his epistles than sudden and un- 
looked for allusions to him. To which we may add, the nature of . the 
case itself; for if the words would apply to the charity of the Corin- 
thians, how much stronger will they apply to the Saviour of sinners ! 
And though we would do justice to every part of the Scripture, we 
would yet rather be followers of Cocceius than Crellius, of whom, as 
expositors of the Bible, it was said, the one found Christ everywhere, 
the other nowhere. 

G-od then — this is the meaning — so loved the world, that he gave 
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not per- 
ish, but have everlasting life. Yea, he is not only a gift, but an un- 
speakable gift. Much has indeed been said of this gift in Christian 
conversation, in the sermons of ministers, in the preaching of prophets 
and apostles, in the Scriptures of truth, of which it is the principal and, 
in a sense, the only subject. But it is not in the power of words to do 
it justice. And we see how even inspired men labor for terms and 
images when they would hold forth a little of the Saviour's glory. 

He is a gift unspeakable, if we consider the greatness of his person. 
We consider him a man of sorrows ; but he was not always so. He 
was born in the fulness of time, but his goings forth were from of old. 
from everlasting. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was 
with- God, and the Word was God. All things were made by him, and 
without him was not any thing made that was made. 

Unspeakable, "if we consider the immensity of the plenitude which 

Morn. Exer. 21 



322 MORNING EXERCISES. 

he possesses as Mediator for our use. Some things include many more. 
What an unspeakable blessing is a fountain, being the source of all the 
refreshing streams that flow from it, and fertilize and beautify the 
ground! What an unspeakable blessing is the sun, that makes our 
day, our spring, our summer ! What would the earth be without the 
sun? What an unspeakable blessing is life, with all its intelligence, 
pursuits, productions, and enjoyments ! He is the fountain of living 
waters. He is the Sun of righteousness. He is the life of the soul and 
eternity. He not only insures every thing else, but contains it. In 
him it hath pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell. In him 
we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. 

And can we think of this, and not exclaim, thanks be unto God for 
his unspeakable gift? Nothing is so detestable as ingratitude. The 
very heathens condemned it. One of their philosophers said, Call a 
man ungrateful, and you call him every thing that is vile. The Lace- 
demonians made it punishable. South compares such a wretch to the 
sea, that turns the sweet influences of the clouds into brine, and to the 
grave, which is always receiving and never restoring. How soon we 
complain of a want of thankfulness in our fellow-creatures towards our- 
selves ! How soon do we abandon them, when our favors seem lost 
upon them ! 

And yet what are these favors, when too, from a community of na- 
ture, and the command of God, we are under an obligation to show 
them ! How few, how small ! How far from being entirely pure in 
their motive! With how little self-denial and sacrifice attended! 
Herein is love ; not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent 
his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

And can this love deserve only a careless reflection of the mind, or 
a cold acknowledgment of the lip ? Ought it not to claim and conse- 
crate the heart? Ought we not to ask every moment, "What shall I 
render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me?" Ought we not, 
by the mercies of God, to present our bodies a living sacrifice ? 

" Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
That were a present far too small : 
Love so amazing, so divine, 

Demands my soul, my life, my all." 



JULY 11. 

" And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty 
days and forty nights unto H'oreb the mount of God." 1 Kings 19 : 8. 

Having, on mount Carmel, witnessed the triumph of truth over 
idolatry, and destroyed Baal's prophets, and predicted the return of 
rain, and urged the king to hasten home, lest he should be impeded by 
the approaching torrents, " Elijah girded up his loins, and ran before 
Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel." Had Ahab properly regarded 
Elijah, he would have taken him up into his chariot, as the eunuch did 



JULY 11. 323 

Philip ; and have honored him before his attendants, and conversed 
with him respecting the awful state of the country. But he did not 
cordially like him, and was happy to get rid of him as soon as possible, 
as Felix said unto Paul, " Go thy way for this time ; when I have a 
convenient season I will call for thee." 

But we admire the conduct of Elijah. He was not elated by the 
recent unparalleled honors conferred upon him above the duty of a 
subject • and therefore, notwithstanding the character of Ahab, he pays 
respect to him as a sovereign, and renders honor to whom honor was 
officially due. 

It is probable that Elijah came to Jezreel to carry on the reforma- 
tion he had begun, and hoping that the late miracle would give him a 
powerful influence. But soon after he arrives in the suburbs, he learns 
the determination, not of the queen-consort, but of the queen-regent — 
for Ahab, though king, was completely governed by a termagant wife — 
to put him to death. " And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, 
and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then 
Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, So let the gods do unto me, 
and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to- 
morrow about this time." Upon this he should have stood his ground, 
and have resolved to go on with his work, leaving events with God, 
and relying upon that providence and grace which had so signally 
appeared for him. He should have replied, as Chrysostom did, when 
Eudoxia the empress threatened him, " Go, tell her that I fear nothing 
but sin ;" or as Basil did, when Valerius the Arian emperor sent him 
word that he would put him to death, " I would that he would ; I shall 
only get to heaven the sooner :" or as Luther did, when they would have 
dissuaded him from going to Worms, " I would go if there were as 
many devils there as there are tiles upon the houses : or as the prince 
of Conde did to the French king, when he purposed that he should go 
to mass, or suffer perpetual banishment or death, " As to the first of 
these, by the grace of God, I never will ; and as to the other two, I 
leave the choice of either to your majesty." 

But where is the faith that never staggers through unbelief; the 
hand that never hangs down ; the knee that never trembles ? We 
are amazed at the magnanimity of Elijah before, in reproving Ahab to 
his face, opposing single-handed all the followers of Baal, and slaying 
Jezebel's four hundred and fifty chaplains. But what is man? He can- 
not stand longer than God holds him, or walk further than God leads 
him. This same hero now turns pale, and flees for his life. "And 
when he saw that, he arose and went for his life, and came to Beer- 
sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there." And why 
did he leave him? Was it from tenderness, wishing to save him from 
the perils to which he himself was exposed? Or was it the more per- 
fectly to conceal his movements, as one could be more easily hid than 
more ? Or did he wish for unrestrained, unwitnessed intercourse with 
God? There are seasons and places in which we wish no eye to see, 



324 MORNING EXERCISES. 

no ear to hear, but God to be all in all. Abraham left his young men 
below when he ascended to worship God. And Jesus said to Peter, 
James, and John in the garden, Tarry ye here, while I go and pray 
yonder. 

However this was, " he went a day's journey into the wilderness, 
and came and sat down under a juniper- tree ;" and fatigued with jour- 
neying and hunger, and harassed with forebodings, and despairing of 
further success in his exertions, he asked to resign not only his office, 
but his life : " He requested for himself that he might die ; and said, It 
is enough ; now, Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than 
my fathers.' 7 That is, I am not fitter to bear their trials, or discharge 
their duties, than they were. Why then should I remain, when they are 
removed ? I have done and suffered my share. This was the language 
of nature, not of grace. Children grow fretful as they grow sleepy. 
Paul longed to depart, to be with Christ, which was far better ; yet he 
was willing to abide in the flesh, because it was needful for others. 
While we are ready to go, we must also be willing to stay if God has 
any thing for us to do or to suffer. To be impatient for retreat, espec- 
ially as soon as we meet with disappointment, is unmanly and sinful. 

Though Elijah was forward to die, it was a peevish haste, and 
evinced that he was in a very improper frame for the event. But God 
remembered that he was dust, compassionated his weakness, and ap- 
peared for him, even in a strait of his own producing, and dealt not 
with him after his desert. " And as he lay and slept under a juniper- 
tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and 
eat. And he looked, and behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, 
and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid 
him down again." Before, he had fed him by ravens ; now he supplies 
him by one of those heavenly messengers who are all ministering spir- 
its unto the heirs of salvation. The office seems beneath one of these 
glorious beings. But he was as much pleased to bring a meal to this 
weary traveller, as he would have been had he received orders to man- 
age the affairs of an empire. Angels have no partialities. They con- 
sider not the nature of the command, but only the author. May His will 
be done on earth as it is done in heaven. 

But what was the meal? A cake of bread and a cruse of water. 
Nature is content with little, and grace with less. How many disor- 
ders arise from excess ! A voracious appetite is a judgment ; a delicate 
one is an infirmity ; a dainty one is a disgrace. Ministers, above all 
men, should not be given to appetite, or be fond of dainty meats. And 
those who entertain them should not insult them by the nature and 
the degree of their preparations. Did our Saviour require much serv- 
ing? Did not he reprove Martha, for being cumbered about many 
things ? When an angel was the guest, Abraham brought him forth a 
cake baked on the hearth, with butter and milk. And when an angel, 
who had the command of every store, catered for the greatest and best 
man of the age, it was a cake of bread and a cruse of water. 



JULY 12. 325 

But " the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched 
him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee." 
God's caring for his people is not only relieving, but prospective. He 
foresees what they will need, and prepares them for difficulties and duties 
which they had not reckoned upon. He strengthens the shoulder when 
the burden is going to be increased. And when he gives them an addi- 
tional supply of faith, hope, peace, and joy, little perhaps do they imag- 
ine what trials they are to endure, or what steps they are to take in the 
strength of it. 

But how was Elijah fitted for his journey ? Surely the sustenance 
derived from this meal was miraculous. But it shows us what his 
power can do, and teaches us that man liveth not by bread alone, but 
by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. "And he 
arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat 
forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God." And why 
did he choose to repair hither ? Would no other place have afforded 
him an equally safe retreat ? Was he actuated by curiosity, or piety ? 
Here was much to strike his mind, and to aid his faith and devotion. 
Here, would he say, Israel encamped. Here fell the manna. Here 
moved, and here stood the fiery cloudy pillar. On the top of this hill 
God spoke all the words of his law. And there God spoke with Moses 
face to face. How much is connected with some spots ! " They are 
none other but the house of God, and the gate of heaven." 



JULY 12. 

"I die daily." 1 Cor. 15 : 31. 

We need not confine the meaning, but take the expression in all its 
latitude of import. In what sense could not Paul make this acknow- 
ledgment ? In what sense is it possible or proper for us to make it ? 

First, he died daily because he professed to preach the gospel in 
constant hazard of life. " In labors," says he, " more abundant, in 
stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the 
Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten 
with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a 
day I have been in the deep ; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, 
in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the 
heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the 
sea, in perils among false brethren ; in weariness and painfulness, in 
watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and 
nakedness." Well might he affirm, " I die daily." In this sense, you 
say, the words are not applicable to you. It is true, from many of his 
dangers you are secure. Your religion is not exposing you to the loss 
of your life, or even of your liberty or your substance. But do not 
even you die daily ? Are not you in jeopardy every hour ? Are you 
not surrounded by wicked and unreasonable men, whose vices and pas- 
sions would destroy you, without the restraining providence of God? 



326 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Are you not liable to a thousand accidents ? What a frail thing is the 
human body ! How strange that such a curious machine, composed of 
such a multitude of delicate organs, should continue so long in force 
and operation ! Know you not that the heart beats seconds, and that 
sixty movements of the blood take place every minute ; so that sixty 
times every minute the question is asked whether we are to live or die? 
We die daily. 

Secondly, Paul could say this, as death was actually invading him 
daily. And this is the case with us. We are mortal, not only in dis- 
tinction, but in state. We decay while we receive sustenance. We 
talk of dying. But is dying a future thing? Have we not always 
been dying? 

" The moment we begin to live, 
We all begin to die." 

We talk of dying ? Why, many of us are half dead already, and some 
much more. Many of our connections are dead ; many of our comforts ; 
many of our hopes. We have buried many of our opportunities, and 
days, and years ; and every year and every day brings us nearer the 
entire end of the whole. It is absurd to confine dying to the act of 
separation between soul and body ; this is only the finishing stroke : we 
die daily. 

Thirdly, Paul, by a moral death, died daily. So should we. To 
die to an object, according to Scripture, is to have no more connection 
with it, or attachment to it. Thus the apostle says to the Romans, 
"Reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin." "How shall we, 
who are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" And this moral dying 
is frequently expressed by the word crucifixion, in allusion to the mode 
of it; and to remind us also of the 1 cause, as well as the example. 
Hence it is said, " Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of 
sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin ; for he 
that is dead is thus freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, 
we believe that we shall also live with him." Thus the Christian dies 
daily, by a course of mortification to sin and the world, and the impres- 
sion of things seen and temporal, and the power of temptation. "For 
they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with its affections and 
lusts." 

Fourthly, Paul died daily by a readiness for his dissolution when- 
ever it should take place. And the man who is like-minded will feel a 
concern to be prepared to die ; to die in a good state, and in a good 
frame ; to die safely ; to die cheerfully ; to die glorifying God, and 
having an abundant entrance ministered unto him into the everlasting 
kingdom of our Lord and Saviour. And this must commence with the 
apostle's desire, "to win Christ, and be found in him." Nothing can 
be done to purpose, in our preparation for eternity, till we have said, 
" Into thy hand I commit my spirit ; thou hast redeemed me, Lord 
God of truth." The voice from heaven only pronounces those blessed 
who die in the Lord ; in a state of union and communion with him ; 



JULY 12. 327 

Laving his righteousness to give them a title to heaven, and his grace 
to give them a meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light. 

But we should be concerned, not only to be habitually, but actually 
ready to die. That is, to be in a waiting posture, having our loins 
girded and our lamps burning ; keeping our consciences clear and calm, 
drawing off our affections from earth, that when the summons comes 
we may be willing to depart, and not be constrained to plead, " spare 
me a little, that I may recover strength before I go hence, and be no 
more." In the history of Charles Y. emperor of Germany, we are 
told that he resigned the reins of government, and retired into a con- 
vent in Spain. There he resolved to celebrate his own obsequies. For 
this purpose he ordered his tomb to be erected in the chapel of the 
monastery of St. Justus. Thither, at the proper season, all his domes- 
tics were ordered to march in funeral procession, carrying in their hands 
black tapers. The emperor followed in his shroud. Arrived at the place, 
he was laid in his coffin. The service of the dead was performed ; and 
when the ceremonies were ended, the doors were closed, the attendants 
dismissed, and he was left alone. After remaining some time in the 
grave, he arose and repaired to his apartment, filled with all those awful 
reflections which the solemnity was adapted to inspire. Now we do not 
recommend the practice of such a gloomy and abject superstition. But 
you may sanctify the expedient, at least in thought. You may antici- 
pate an event that must befall you. And Oh that you were wise, that 
you understood this, that you would consider your latter end ! Oh that 
you would remember that the services you perform for others, will cer- 
tainly be required for yourselves ! Oh that, when you see man going 
to his long home, and the mourners going about the streets, you would 
say, "I also am accomplishing, as a hireling, my day ; and in a little 
time my neighbors, friends, and relations will seek me, and I shall 
not be !" 

Would it be improper or useless for you, in imagination, to suppose 
yourselves entering your sick-chamber — stretched upon a bed of lan- 
guishing — dying — wrapped up in your winding-sheet — laid in your cof- 
fin — friends, for the last time, touching your cold cheek with their lips, 
or the back of their hand — the lid screwed down, and your remains 
borne through the mutes at the door, and accompanied to the grave, 
and left there — while the spirit had returned to God who gave it? In 
endeavoring to realize this condition, I ask, How would the world ap- 
pear ? What would you think of the censure or praise of men ? What, 
of many of your pursuits? Would not this check the levity of the 
mind, and the pride of life ? Would not also this contemplation break 
the force of surprise ? 

"Familiar thoughts can slope the way to death." 

But if we think not of the subject, the event will be a sudden 
precipice. 

The sum of human wisdom is, to keep us from surprise in any thing ; 






328 MORNING EXERCISES. 

the sum of divine wisdom is, to keep us from surprise in death. We 
know not how soon the event may come, nor in what manner it may 
befall us. It may not wait the close of threescore years and teD. It 
may not announce its approach by the common warnings of sickness. 
If we have not learned this truth already from our observations of 
mortality, neither should we be persuaded though one rose from the 
dead. 



JULY 13. 



"I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them." Ezek. 
36:37. 

That is what he had been promising, and notwithstanding the fine- 
ness and certainty of the engagement. Such is the revealed "will" of 
God. And his will is law, and law from which there lies no appeal. 
Nothing therefore can dispense with the obligation of prayer. But let 
us look at this fact. 

As we have no claims upon God, and all he does for us must be from 
pure mercy and grace, no one can deny that he has a right to determine 
the way in which his favors shall be conferred. Nor can it be ques- 
tioned that he is the most competent judge in this case, for his under- 
standing is infinite ; he knows himself and his relations, and he knows 
us and our welfare perfectly. 

Yet let us not suppose that he acts arbitrarily, though he may act 
sovereignly. And let us remember too that his acting sovereignly does 
not consist in his acting without reasons, but in his being governed by 
reasons which are often far above out of our sight. 

His wisdom and his goodness are to be seen here as plainly as his 
authority. Some vainly ask, Where is the propriety of prayer? Can 
prayer be necessary to inform a Being perfect in knowledge? Or to 
excite a Being always ready to do good? Or to induce a Being, with 
whom there is no variableness, to change his measures? But the ques- 
tion is beside the mark. What is not necessary as to God, may be 
necessary as to us. Religion is founded not in his wants, but in ours. 
Does not something of this kind obtain among all ranks and conditions 
of our fellow-creatures? All-parental as you are, do you always dis- 
pense with your child's asking for what he wants ? As a master, though 
willing to forgive, do you not deem it needful to require the servant 
that offended you to confess his fault and implore pardon ? 

How many are the advantages arising from God's requiring us to ask, 
that we may have ; and to seek, that we may find ! The exercise of prayer 
keeps alive a sense of our indigence and dependence. Every time I go 
to God in prayer, I am reminded that I am ignorant, and that he is 
wise ; that I am weak, and that he is powerful ; that I am guilty and 
miserable, and that he is merciful and gracious ; that I am nothing, and 
that he is all in all. 

Prayer, by bringing us into the presence of God, will impress us 



JULY 14. 329 

with his excellencies ; and the intercourse we have with him will lead 
us to admire and fear and love and resemble him. For we soon catch 
the spirit, and take off the manners of those with whom we are inti- 
mate ; especially if they are above us, and we much esteem them. It 
is said that those who are about the court have an air and an address 
peculiar to themselves ; and that it is difficult, if not impossible, for 
another to assume it. A man who is much at the throne of grace, will 
betray it in a manner of feeling, speaking, and acting, that a religious 
pretender # can never entirely exemplify. 

Hereby, too, the blessing is more endeared and enhanced. We 
never much regard what we acquire without application or effort. The 
effort is a kind of price, and we judge of the commodity by the cost. 
That which blesses us is what relieves our wants, fulfils our desire, accom- 
plishes our hope, crowns our sacrifices. God's blessings are not bestowed 
upon those who are incapable of feeling their value ; they would then 
yield neither pleasure to the receiver, nor praise to the giver. His way 
therefore is to make us sensible of our need, to show us the importance 
and excellence of the favors, and to draw forth our souls after them. 
Then we are in his way. Then we can plead his promise. For " blessed 
are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be 
filled." 



JULY 14. 

"My peace I give unto you.'' John 14 : 27. 

Peace sometimes signifies a confluence of temporal good things. 
This is not the meaning of it here. Our Saviour himself was poor, and 
a man of sorrows. And he said to his disciples, In the world ye shall 
have tribulation. Yet at the same time they were to have peace in 
him. This peace, therefore, must have been something which trouble 
could not hinder or injure. It must have been a spiritual privilege, 
composure of mind especially — for here is the source of the greatest 
perplexity and disquietude — the calm of conscience, arising from a hope 
of our acceptance in the Beloved. Before it can be enjoyed, the awful 
breach between us and God must be healed, and the blessed partaker 
of it be able to say, Thou wast angry with me ; but thine anger is 
turned away, and thou comfortest me. For there must be a sense of 
apprehension of God's favor, which is life. I may be pardoned ; but if 
I am ignorant of my forgiveness, my anxieties and uneasinesses will 
remain. But when He says to the soul, I am thy salvation, then being 
justified by faith, I have peace with God ; not only peace with him 
above, but peace with him within, a peace that passeth all under- 
standing. 

For who can adequately conceive the value of this donation ? We 
need not descend into the depths of hell to inquire what the miserable 
victims of despair would give for a moment's enjoyment of it. Let 
those speak who have been convinced of sin, who have felt a wounded 






330 MORNING EXERCISES. 

spirit, and expecting to fall into the hand of the living God, have ex- 
claimed, What must I do to be saved ? What were the feelings of the 
manslayer, with the avenger of blood urging on at his heels? And 
what was the change he experienced as soon as he had entered the ap- 
pointed asylum, and could turn round and face the foe ? Say ye — for 
ye have realized the blessed transition — ye who have fled for refuge to 
lay hold of the hope set before you. 

u T is a young heaven on earthly ground, 
And glory in the bud." t 

It is a cluster of the grapes of Eshcol. It weans from the world. It 
enlivens duty. It smooths the rugged path of adversity. It turns a 
dying-chamber into the house of God and the gate of heaven. 

But the Saviour calls it his peace : " My peace I give unto you." 
It would be a low sense of this, though a true one, that he came and 
preached it. It was his in an infinitely more expensive way. He pro- 
cured it for us. He came not to tell us the way to heaven, but to be 
the way ; not to show us how to make our peace with God, but to make 
it. And he did make it : we were reconciled to God by the death of 
his Son. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his 
stripes we are healed. He made peace by the blood of his cross. And 
he applies it by the agency of his Holy Spirit : enabling us to believe, 
and enter into rest ; and maintaining our hope in all the changes of life, 
and under a continued sense of our unworthiness and guilt. 

Nor is it more his by derivation than distinction. Many have peace ; 
but how unlike his ! There is the peace of the sinner. This is of Sa- 
tanic origin. The strong man armed keepeth his palace and his goods 
in peace. This peace is worse than war. It is not founded in convic- 
tion, but ignorance. It cannot endure thought. It is unworthy the 
name of peace. " There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." 
How can a man retire and go to sleep, when, if he dies before the morn- 
ing — and how easily may his bed become his grave — God is under an 
oath to destroy him ? He denies it, or forgets. There is the peace of 
the self-righteous Pharisee, and the peace of the evangelical hypocrite, 
both of which will prove as the spider's web, and as the giving up of 
the ghost. There is the peace of the worldling, who, by his fireside, or 
in the calm of his evening's walk, musing on his abundance, says, my 
soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years ; take thine ease ; 
eat, drink, and be merry. But he may that very night have his soul 
required of him : and then whose are those things which he has pro- 
vided? What is it to be at ease in our circumstances, and to enjoy 
peace with our neighbors and in our families, while we are at war with 
God, and his wrath abideth on us? 

But this man shall be the peace when the Assyrian cometh into the 
land. Look to him. Repair to him. "He healeth the broken in heart, 
and bindeth up all their wounds." While you neglect him, you may 
seek peace, but you will never find it. But he cries — 0, hear him — 






JULY 15. 331 

" Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give 
you rest." And is not this the very thing you want ? Rest, rest unto 
your souls? Believe him ; try his word. " Lo this, we have searched 
it, so it is ; hear it, and know thou it for thy good." 



JULY 15. 



" It came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. 
And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, inso- 
much that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these 
mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his 
brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all 
with us ? Whence then hath this man all these things ? And they were offended in 
him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own coun- 
try, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their 
unbelief." Matt. 13 : 53-58. 

His own country here means, not Bethlehem, where he was born, 
but Nazareth, where he had been brought up. It was a poor and de- 
spised place, so that it was proverbially asked, " Can any good thing 
come out of Nazareth ?" Yet there was he found r who is the King of 
glory. 

Here he taught in their synagogues. What he taught is not re- 
corded. But we may determine the substance of it from his addresses 
on other occasions, and from the end which he always kept in view, 
"to seek and to save that which was lost." Of his manner of teaching 
we cannot form an adequate conception. It was all his own. " Grace 
was poured into his lips." Even those who derived no saving advan- 
tage from it, even his enemies, said, " Never man spake like this man." 

Accordingly, the people were astonished. Wonder has its place in 
religion, and there is every thing in the gospel to call it forth. Yet 
many emotions of this kind are not powerful enough to produce any 
decisive result, and the subjects of them behold and wonder, and perish. 
Thus it was here. They acknowledge his works to be mighty works ; 
that is, miraculous, but are offended with his want of education, having 
been at no university, at the feet of no Gamaliel, never having learned 
letters. And also because he was not a man of birth and rank, but 
had relations in common life, and was himself engaged in manual em- 
ployment. See how the god of this world blinds the minds of them 
that believe not. Who can stand before envy and prejudice ? If he 
had the wisdom, and did the works, both of which they admitted, surely 
it was the more commendable, and the more marvellous, that he was so 
preeminent without any ordinary helps, and the more likely was he to 
be divinely inspired. There seemed no other way of accounting for 
the prodigy. And this seems to strike them. But men do not value 
things according to their real excellence. And when there is not a 
cordial liking to any subject, every circumstance which would other- 
wise befriend, is converted into objection. 

In answer to their offence, our Saviour remarks, " A prophet is not 






332 MORNING EXERCISES. 

without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house." Use- 
fulness depends upon acceptance, and acceptance upon esteem. Hence 
a bishop is to have a good report of them that are without ; and hear- 
ers are commanded not only to receive such, but to hold them in repu- 
tation. Those who have been above a man in condition, do not like to 
come down and listen to him as an instructor and reprover : and those 
who have been his equals, have been too familiar with him to feel ven- 
eration towards him. Many things, though quite consistent with sanc- 
tity, yet breed not that reverence and respect which attach to a man 
that comes to us, so to speak, from a kind of distance, and is only seen 
through the medium of his sacred office. The case here stated is not 
universally and absolutely true ; but it is so generally and compara- 
tively, and even our Saviour himself was not an exception to it. After 
this some of his servants need not be astonished at the treatment they 
experience. Neither should they fret and complain. They must take 
human nature as it is, and accommodate themselves as much as they 
can, prudently and innocently, to the actual state of society. This gov- 
erned the Master ; and he assigns it as the reason why he preferred 
laboring elsewhere : " He said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me 
this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done 
in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Yerily I say 
unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country." 

What a conclusion is here ! " And he did not many mighty works 
there because of their unbelief." Some he did. Mark says, He laid 
his hands on a few sick folk, and healed them. But what was the pre- 
vention of more ? He generally required faith in his miraculous exer- 
tions. Hence the expressions, Be it unto thee according to thy faith. 
Believest thou that I am able to do this? If thou canst believe, all 
things are possible to him that believeth. There were indeed some 
cases in which he wrought without this, at least without the faith of 
the individual himself, though even then faith was found in those who 
applied on his behalf, or who brought him to Jesus. 

But faith is always necessary in spiritual operations. He can pro- 
duce faith within us, but he cannot carry on his works of grace without 
it. If he could, it would be in contradiction to his word, and by a 
blind, positive, physical force, without our knowledge, feeling, wishes, 
or designs. But this is not his way. He does every thing by faith. 
We are saved through faith. Hence the importance of believing. The 
first, the chief concern is, to get faith. Talk not of the sufficiency and 
excellency of the remedy, it cannot heal us unless it be applied ; and it 
can only be applied by faith. The gospel is the power of God to salva- 
tion, but it is only to every one that believeth. 

There is something infinitely evil in unbelief, if we only consider 
what it prevents. It stands, and it is the only thing that does stand 
between a sinner and the relief of the gospel. Let him believe, and he 
is saved. He that hath the Son hath life ; and he that believeth hath 
the Son. As to others, the wrath of God abideth on them, for nothing 



JULY 16. 533 

else can withdraw them from under it. The Jews could not enter into 
Canaan because of their unbelief. It equally bars heaven against us. 
But what mighty works attend faith ! By faith we are justified. By 
faith we are sanctified. We stand,. we walk, we live, we conquer by 
faith. 

And what an injurious bar to a Christian himself is unbelief. How 
much does it hinder him from achieving in a way of duty, and realizing 
in a way of privilege. What keeps him so weak and wavering? Un- 
belief. "If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established." If 
we depend on our frames and feelings, we draw from a summer brook, 
instead of the well of living waters. Pleasing experiences are cordials, 
but faith furnishes the soul's food. Faith in the promises would imme- 
diately tranquillize us, as it did Paul in the storm : " Be of good cheer ; 
for I believe God, that it shall be as it was told me." What keeps a 
Christian so poor in consolation? Unbelief. " Filled with all joy and 
peace in believing." " Believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable, and 
full of glory." 

Who would not, then, by faith, let loose all the sources of divine 
mercy and grace ? 

Who would not cry out, with tears, " Lord, I believe ; help thou 
mine unbelief?" 

JULY 16. 

"Call to remembrance the former days." Heb. 10 : 32. 

This will soon convince us that there is nothing new under the sun, 
and keep us from saying, " What is the cause that the former days were 
better than these?" In many respects we have the advantage. In 
knowledge, in civilization, and liberty, and trade, and the conveniences 
and comforts of life, and, above all, in spiritual privileges, we far sur- 
pass our predecessors. 

If we look back to the period of Judaism, we shall have reason to 
say, ; ' Blessed are our eyes, for they see ; and our ears, for they hear : 
for many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things that we* 
see, and did not see them ; and to hear the things that we hear, and did 
not hear them." They had the type, we have the reality ; they had the 
promise, we have the accomplishment ; they had the dawn, we have the 
day ; God having provided some better thing for us, that they without 
us should not be made perfect. 

If we look back jto the period previous to the entrance of the gospel 
into our own country, what were our ancestors ? Naked painted sav- 
ages in the woods, oppressed by cruel rites, enslaved by idolatry ; being 
without Christ, strangers to the commonwealth of Israel ; having no 
hope, and without God in the world. 

We were called Christians long before the Reformation. But look 
at the period prior to that auspicious event. In what a state of mental 
degradation were we: religion superstition, the service performed in 






334 MORNING EXERCISES. 

an unknown tongue, the Scriptures kept from the common people, and 
nothing suffered to peep or mutter but as priestcraft gave leave ! 

And when men began to know the words of life, and to serve God 
in spirit and in truth, what interdictions were they under, and to what 
fines, imprisonments, tortures, deaths, were they exposed by the spirit 
of persecution, Popish and even Protestant! Remember the former 
times, in which your forefathers endured a great fight of affliction for 
conscience' sake. Think how they would have rejoiced to see a day in 
which we sit under our own vine and fig-tree, and none can make us 
afraid ; in which the gospel is spreading far and wide ; in which individ- 
uals and churches and communities combine to make manifest the savor 
of the Redeemer's knowledge in every place. Christians should judge 
by a rule of their own, and deem those the best times in which the best 
cause flourishes most. "We therefore live in the most preferable era the 
world ever yet witnessed. 

But it is well for us also to remember the earlier periods of our own 
personal history and experience, our days of religious nothingness, when 
we never called upon his name, and had no fear of God before our eyes. 
What feeling does the review of these days require ! 

But other days, better days, blessed days followed, after we knew 
God, or rather, were known of him. He remembers these : " Go and 
cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord ; I remember 
thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou 
wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel 
was holiness unto the Lord, and the first-fruits of his increase." And 
shall we forget them ? Can we forget them ? 

"How sweet their memory still!" 

In one respect the review must be humbling ; for how little has our 
practice corresponded with our profession, or our proficiency with our 
advantages ! Yea, instead of advancing, have we not stood still, or 
rather, have we not gone back? We read of " the first ways of David." 
They were, alas, his best. The king of Israel never equalled the shep- 
herd of Bethlehem. When. at ease in Zion, his soul prospered much 
less than when he was hunted like a partridge upon the mountains. 
And have we never sighed, " that it was with me as in months past?" 
Here is the charge, " I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast 
left thy first love." Let us not deny it, but remember from whence we 
are fallen, and repent, and do our first works. 

Are we in trouble? Do we see no way for our escape? Does God 
seem to have forgotten to be gracious ? Let us remember the years of 
the right hand of the Most High. His love and power and truth are 
still the same. And "because he has been my help, therefore under 
the shadow of his wings will I rejoice." 



JULY IT. 335 

JULY 17. 

"Ye have an unction from the Holy One." 1 John 2 : 20. 

Who is this Holy One? Unquestionably the Lord Jesus. It was 
one of the names by which he was known in the days of his flesh. The 
devils knew him by it, and said, "We know thee who thou art, the Holy 
One of God." Ye denied, said Peter and John to the Jews, the Holy 
One and the Just. He was so called from the innocency of his life, the 
purity of his nature, and the eminency of his perfections ; and therefore, 
in a sense, it is applicable to no mere creature. God is often called the 
Holy One in the Old Testament ; and alluding to the very place where 
holiness is thrice ascribed to him by the seraphim, the evangelist affirms, 
" This said Isaiah, when he saw his glory, and spake of him." He is 
relatively as well as personally holy, and evangelically as well as le- 
gally. He is as holy in his gospel as in his law. He is as holy in his 
dispensations as in his ordinances. He is holy in all his ways, and 
righteous in all his works. He came by water as well as by blood, and 
gave himself for us, to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify unto 
himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. And though he will 
bring millions from the depraved race of Adam to glory, he will bring 
them all there, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. 

And what is this unction from Him ? John was a Jew, and well 
knew that oil, unction, anointing — it is all the same thing — was used to 
consecrate, to beautify, to refresh, and delight. The word therefore is 
used here for the influence of the Holy Spirit. And this is derived 
from the Lord Jesus. This was typified in the case of Aaron, when the 
oil was poured upon his head, and went down to the skirts of his gar- 
ments. So here the unction descends from the head of the church to 
the lowest members of the body. Hence it is so often called the Spirit 
of Christ. It comes to us through his mediation, and it comes to us 
from his possession. For it was not, as Mr. Howe observes, the design 
and effect of the sufferings and death of Christ that the Spirit should 
be given immediately to any individuals, but that the whole dispensa- 
tion should be lodged in his hands, and the administration be the honor 
of his office. He received gifts for men, and this was the chief of them. 
Being by the right hand of God exalted, says Peter, and having received 
of the Father the promise of the Spirit, he hath shed forth this which ye 
now see and hear. He therefore said to his disciples, " It is expedient 
for you that I go away : for if I go not away, the Comforter will not 
come unto you ; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." " And he 
shall not speak of himself : but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he 
speak ; and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me : 
for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." 

Thus it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell. 
"And of his fulness," says every saved, every sanctified sinner, "have 
all we received, and grace for grace." 

Have we this unction from the Holy One ? If any man have not 



336 MORNING EXERCISES. 

the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Destitute of this, our religion 
will be a form of godliness without the power ; the practice, without 
the principle ; duty, without delight — a task, wearisomeness, vanity. 
We can only know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath 
given us. 

If strangers to the benefit, let us seek it. We know to whom we 
are to apply. He is able, he is willing to give us the supply of his own 
Spirit. How encouraging to address ourselves to one who loved us, 
and gave himself for us ; who says, If any man thirst, let him come 
unto me and drink ; who never sent one suppliant empty away ; who 
never will, never can, for he cannot deny himself. 

Cherish this unction. It is what the apostle means, when he says, 
" Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, by which ye are sealed to the day 
of redemption.' 7 Not only does gratitude require this, because of what 
the Spirit has already done for you, but a concern for your own wel- 
fare. What can you do without his aids and comforts? In conse- 
quence of his sin, David feared the entire loss of his agency, and there- 
fore cried, " Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy 
Holy Spirit from me." Yea, he had suffered the loss of the consolation 
and support which He alone can give. "Restore unto me the joy of thy 
salvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit." 

Let us diffuse this unction. Let us make manifest the savor of the 
Redeemer's knowledge in every place, in every condition, in every com- 
pany. Let it so abound in our conduct, temper, and discourse, that we 
may be distinguished and recommended by it. So that all may take 
knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus. 



JULY 18. 

" God, who is rich in mercy." Eph. 2 : 4. 

In a thousand things God entirely eludes our research. In every 
thing he surpasses our comprehension. But we know that he is merci- 
ful ; we are sure that he is rich in mercy. And we cannot be too 
thankful that the eminence of an attribute so essential to our happiness 
and hope, is not obscurely revealed, but so plainly and fully made known 
in the works of his hands, the dispensations of his providence, the prom- 
ises of his word, the provisions of his house, and the Son of his love. 
For who does not need this assurance? The self-righteous Pharisee, 
who thanks God that he is not as other men are, he does not require it. 
And the proud pretender, who is free from all sin, he does not require 
it ; he formerly required it, but he has now attained, he is now already 
perfect. But there are four classes of characters to whom it must be 
like life from the dead. 

First, the victims of affliction. These are not rarely to be met with 
in this vale of tears. To such we would say, We ask you not what 
your distresses are, but if oppressed, pray, "Lord, undertake for me." 



JULY 18. 337 

" Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee." Repair 
not, under the pressure of woe, to the rope, or the bowl of intoxication, 
or the dissipations of the world — this is like Saul's going to the witch 
of Endor — but go to the throne of the heavenly grace, imploring the 
pity of the God of all comfort. He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve 
the children of men. It is your welfare that has called forth this seem- 
ing severity. He knows your frame. He remembereth that you are 
dust. He lays upon you no more than he will enable you to bear. He 
will not always chide, neither will he keep his anger for ever. When 
the benevolent end of the dispensation is answered, he will readily lay 
aside the rod, and say, "Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant 
child ? For since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him 
still : therefore my bowels are troubled for him ; I will surely have 
mercy upon him, saith the Lord. Set thee up waymarks, make thee 
high heaps ; set thy heart towards the highway, even the way which 
thou wentest : turn again, virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy 
cities." 

Secondly, convinced penitents. They were formerly always exten- 
uating their guilt ; now they are dwelling only upon the aggravations 
of it. Lately they seemed unsusceptible of alarm ; now they refuse to 
be comforted. Such is their unworthiness, the number and greatness 
of their sins, they are cast out of his sight, and there is only for them a 
certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation. But, 
awakened sinner, remember there is hope in Israel concerning this 
thing. There is everlasting consolation and good hope through grace. 
"With the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. 
Judge not of his goodness by a human standard. Who is a God like 
unto him ? Yiew him not through the medium of your own feelings. 
Believe his own word, wherein he assures you that he is ready to for- 
give, that he will abundantly pardon. Believe his oath, wherein he 
swears by himself, " As I live, saith the Lord, I desire not the death of 
him that dieth ; wherefore turn, and live ye." 

Thirdly, desponding backsliders. These, after walking in the way 
everlasting, have fallen by their iniquity, and perhaps feel more anguish 
of mind than when they were first led to repentance. They say, and 
they say justly, " No one has sinned with such enhancement as I have 
done. I have sinned in the dearest relations, and under the highest 
obligations, and against the greatest advantages. I have sinned after 
being made to know what an evil and bitter thing sin is, and also after 
tasting that the Lord is gracious. My sin has been more injurious in 
its effects than that of others ; it has more dishonored religion and 
grieved the Holy Spirit of God." All this they ought to feel. Yet 
must not they forget that He is rich in mercy. It is this belief that will 
break the heart most, and make it sorrow after a godly sort. It is this 
alone that will lead them forward, with weeping and supplication, say- 
ing, Lord, take away all iniquity ; create in me a clean heart, God. 
and renew a right spirit within me. And He, will He refuse to reply, 

Mom Exer. 22 



338 MORNING EXERCISES. 

• ' I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely ; for mine anger 
is turned away from him?" 

Fourthly, persevering believers. These have holden on their way. 
and having obtained help of God, continue to this day. They ought 
therefore to feel thankful. Yet it becomes them also to be humble. 
Indeed, the more they advance in the divine life, the more will they be 
dissatisfied with themselves. They will be deeply affected with a sense 
of their unprofitableness, and numberless infirmities. If their outward 
conduct has been fair to men, they know how little their heart has 
been right with God. They know the sins of their holy things would 
be enough to condemn them, if God should bring them into judgment 
with him. Their language therefore still is, God be merciful to me a 
sinner. This is their only relief : He is rich in mercy. And living and 
dying, they " look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal 
life." 



JULY 19. 



"As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the 
appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness 
of the glory of the Lord." Ezek. 1 : 28. 

There is always ground for the prophet's complaint, " Seeing many 
things, they observe not." How often do even objects peculiarly 
designed and adapted to excite and impress, fail to strike, or at least 
to awaken any proper attention. This is the case with the rainbow. 
Children wonder at the novelty, grandeur, and construction of the 
figure, but seldom ask a question about it. The common people, who 
are much abroad in the field, rarely give it a gaze ; and never connect 
a thought with it, but as it may be supposed, by the time of its exhibi- 
tion, to intimate the state of the weather. And what does the philoso- 
pher ? In the pride of science, he despises the vulgar ; but though able 
to explain the mediate cause of the phenomenon, he never looks after 
any thing the Scripture says concerning it. But who is not only a 
naturalist, but a moralist? And not only a moralist, but a Christian — 
a Christian in the field as well as in the temple ; making that which 
is seen and temporal, the means of communion with that which is 
unseen and eternal ? 

The rainbow may be viewed three ways. First, physically. Thus 
it is, in the sky, a semicircle of various colors, which appears in showery 
weather. It is gendered by the sunbeams on a cloud. Where there is 
a moist and dark cloud opposite the orb of day, and disposed to receive 
and reflect his rays, the bow is seen ; and never without this concur- 
rence. 

Secondly, federally. The first time we read of it in the book of 
Genesis is in this covenant relation. " I do set my bow in the cloud, 
and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. 
And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud ever the earth, that the 
bow shall be seen in the cloud ; and I will remember my covenant, 



JULY 19. 339 

which is between me and you, and every living creature of all flesh ; 
and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh." It 
was in being before ; but now it was made a divinely constituted sign, 
or token. Thus it should lead us to think of the holiness and justice 
of God in the destruction of the old world, and also of his forbearance 
and goodness in engaging not to destroy it in like manner again, and 
in affording a sensible assurance of it. The appearance may be, in 
some measure, viewed as even typical of the event. The bow was early 
the principal weapon of war, and soon became the emblem of it. David 
says, "He hath bent his bow, and made ready his arrows upon the 
string, to shoot at the persecutors." But here is a bow without arrows, 
and without a string. When a man uses the bow in a hostile manner, 
the ends are towards himself, and the back is towards the enemy. But 
here the bow is reversed — the back is towards heaven, and the ends 
towards the earth. And therefore, if it had arrows upon the string, 
they must be discharged upwards, not downwards — the earth is safe, 
and has nothing to fear from it. If this should be thought more curi- 
ous than wise, yet the bow thus viewed, if not a type, is a proof and 
a pledge. It says, the flood is gone, never to return. And here we feel 
a perfect certainty. However long or violently the rain falls, we are 
not alarmed. We look to the bow in the cloud, and are sure that 
| while the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, 
and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." And why 
do we not feel equally sure with regard to another interposition ? 

For, thirdly, the bow is to be viewed evangelically. " For a small 
moment have I forsaken .thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. 
In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with ever- 
lasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeem- 
er. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me ; for as I have sworn 
that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I 
sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the 
mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed • but my kindness shall 
not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be re- 
moved, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee." Here we find God 
doing, in a nobler case, what he did after the deluge. Here we find him 
with a better, an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure. 
And to render the allusion similar, and to afford strong consolation to 
those who are fleeing for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before them, 
we have his oath, accompanied with a sign or token, that should subdue 
every apprehension. Where, what is it? "Upon the likeness of the 
throne," says Ezekiel, " was the likeness as the appearance of a man above 
upon it. 11 We know to whom this refers. " I saw as the color of amber, 
as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance 
of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even 
downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had bright- 
ness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in 
the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. 



340 MORNING EXERCISES. 

This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lor&P An em- 
blem of his glory, both as to bis person and importance. Who can 
help admiring the rainbow? It is one of the most beautiful appearances 
in nature. How various the colors ! Yet the celestial tints are united, 
and though distinct, melt into each other to make one astonishing 
whole. And his name is Wonderful. What a combination of excellen- 
ces is found in him! "He is altogether lovely." All human and divine 
beauties meet in him. All the charms of nature, all the attractions of 
all creatures in earth and in heaven are blended in him, and infinitely 
surpassed. "For how great is his goodness, and how great is his 
beauty!" 

It also reminds us of his importance. It insures us safety, cove- 
nant safety. We are justified by his blood, and saved from wrath 
through him. He is the hope, the consolation of Israel. He that 
believeth on him cannot perish, but hath everlasting life. 

Let us look to him, and be comforted against every adverse threat- 
ening. Afflictions cannot overwhelm us ; the law cannot curse us ; ene- 
mies cannot injure us. "Nay, in all these things we are more than con- 
querors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded that neither 
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things 
present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other crea- 
ture, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in 
Christ Jesus our Lord." 



JULY 20. 

"They took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." Acts 4: 13. 

This recognition is explained in two ways. Some take it literally, 
as referring to the persons of the apostles. These their arraigners 
remembered, when they looked at them, for they had seen them before 
in company with him. And this, it is more than probable, was the case. 
For some of this very council attended his examination on the night of 
his apprehension. Yea, he was examined in the very house of this 
Caiaphas ; and we are assured that Peter, on the occasion, went into 
the high-priest's palace to see the end. Jesus also had openly taught 
in the temple, when, more than once, some of these men were present, 
disputing with him ; and he was always accompanied by his disciples. 
No wonder therefore, that Peter and John were recognized by them. 
But others take it in allusion to their qualities, behavior, and mode of 
speaking ; connecting it particularly with the former words. And 
" when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that 
they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled ; and they took 
knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus ;" remarking that 
they were of the same party, or as we should say, of the same stamp. 
So the sentence has been commonly understood. And three remarks 
may be made upon it. 

First, some have been with Jesus. Peter and John had been, as to 



JULY 20. 341 

his bodily presence, with him for several years, in public and in private, 
going out and coming in with him. And who is not ready to envy them 
such intercourse ? But he was received up into glory ; and they who 
had known him after the flesh, knew him so no more. Yet he had 
promised his people his spiritual presence to the end of the world. And 
thus, though now invisible, he is yet accessible. Hereafter they will be 
for ever with the Lord. But this heaven begins on earth. They were 
naturally without Christ ; though not as to dispensation, yet as to expe- 
rience. But their religion began with an introduction to him. They 
were made sensible of their need of him ; they sought him ; they found 
him. They had much to do with him then, and they have had much to 
do with him ever since. And they only go on well in religion as they are 
able to say, " I am continually with thee." They are with him in his 
word, in his house, at his table — with him in the closet, in the field — 
they are with him as pupils are with their teacher, as servants are with 
their master, waiting upon him all the day — as followers with their 
leader, willing to follow him whithersoever he goeth — as soldiers with 
their commander, fighting the good fight of faith: for "they that be 
with him are called, and chosen, and faithful f and " he that is not with 
him, is against him." 

Secondly, it is expected that they who are with him should resem- 
ble him. It is proverbially said, Tell me a man's company, and I will 
tell you his character. And it is well known that like not only attracts, 
but begets like. Hence the importance we attach to the choice of asso- 
ciates. Hence we say to the unmarried, Be not unequally yoked 
together with unbelievers. Hence to the young, He that walketh with 
wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. If 
we enter the house of mourning, we instantly catch the sympathy. The 
heart softens ; the countenance contracts ; the eye melts. How different 
are our sensations in the circles of festivity and mirth. It is said that 
those who live at court have a manner of their own, which others can- 
not successfully put on. All association, however limited, produces 
some influence. But the conformity will be in proportion to the degree 
of the intimacy, and the constancy of the intercourse, and the love we 
have to the individual, and the veneration we feel for his greatness. 
Now all these will apply supremely to the Christian's acquaintance with 
Christ. And therefore the resemblance must be the greater, especially 
when we add to all this, that it is the duty and the main business of his 
religion to imitate him. For he that saith he abideth in him, ought 
himself also so to walk as he walked. And if any man have not the 
Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 

Thirdly, this conformity will not be overlooked. The Christian 
himself may not be sensible of it, for the more progress he makes in the 
divine life, the more humble will he be. Moses was not aware of the 
brilliancy of his face when he came down from being with God, and was 
surprised to see the people dazzled at the glory of his countenance. 
And Paul said, I have not attained, I am not already perfect. But 



342 MORNING EXERCISES. 

God will take knowledge of it ; angels will take knowledge of it ; 
ministers will take knowledge of it ; his fellow- Christians will take 
knowledge of it ; the world will take knowledge of it — his profiting 
will appear unto all men. And though the wicked cannot be pleased 
with it, yet they are aware of what, by their profession, Christians 
ought to be ; and their consistency will enthrone them in their convic- 
tion, and put to silence their ignorance ; and may constrain them to glo- 
rify God in the day of visitation. 

If persons are seen firm in principle, fearless in duty, zealous in the 
cause of God, yet humble and lowly, gentle and tender, and patient in 
suffering, and ready to forgive, no one need be told with whom they 
have been. 

So if you are proud, and vain, and worldly-minded, and avaricious, 
and revengeful, and censorious, and unkind, we do not require you to 
tell us with whom you are most intimate. And though we do not believe 
in witchcraft, we know that you have a familiar spirit ; and we know 
who, and what he is. " And glory not, and lie not against the truth. 
This wisdom descendeth not from above ; but is earthly, sensual, devil- 
ish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil 
work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, 
gentle, and easy to be entreated ; full of mercy and good fruits ; with- 
out partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness 
is sown in peace of them that make peace." 



JULY 21. 

" taste and see that the Lord is good." Psa. 34 : 8. 

That God is good is too obvious to be denied ; though, alas, we are 
so little affected with it. He is good to all, and his tender mercies are over 
all his works. He openeth his hand, and satisfieth the desire of every 
living thing. As to ourselves, he made us. He placed us so high in the 
scale of beings. He furnished, for our reception, a world filled with 
his bounty and beauty. He gives the sweet interchange of hill and 
vale, and wood and lawn. He makes the outgoings of the morning 
and evening to rejoice, and in the succession and produce of the sea- 
sons, he crowns the year with his goodness. He not only provides for 
our support, but for our comfort. He not only feeds and clothes, but 
feasts and adorns us. All our senses might have been so many inlets 
of pain, but they are the avenues of a thousand pleasures ; and we are 
furnished with the most delightful colors and sounds and relishes and 
perfumes. Our food might have been rendered distasteful, but he has 
made it pleasant ; and connected gratification with the most necessary 
act of life. No one eats from a sense of duty, or to avoid death, but 
for pleasure. 

Distinguished from this general goodness of God there is, however, 
a peculiar goodness, and which regards us as sinners. It is called, in 
the Scriptures, mercy and grace. It led him to remember us in our low 



JULY 21. 343 

estate, and to make provision for our salvation from every effect of the 
fall. He spared not his own Son ; he delivered him for our offences, 
and raised him again for our justification. And in him all things are 
now ready for our acceptance. And in him, unworthy as we are, we 
may obtain all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, for ever. Herein 
is love. And this favor which he bears unto his people, and which 
regards the soul and eternity — this good will of Him that dwelt in the 
bush, is what we are supremely to seek after. 

But what is the best way to know this goodness ? David does not 
say, Hear, and know ; read, and know ; believe, and know — but, Taste 
and see that the Lord is good. That is, apply to him for yourselves, 
instead of relying on the authority of others ; as in a case of disputed 
relish, you determine not by testimony, but taste. In other words, 
it means experience. Experience is knowledge derived from experi- 
ment, in contradistinction from theory. Since the mighty mind of 
Bacon beat down hypotheses, and introduced the inductive system, 
philosophy has reasoned from facts, and experimental philosophy has 
been much applauded. Why then should we ridicule experimental 
religion? Is there no standard in divinity to which we can appeal? Is 
there no test to be applied to the truth of pious pretensions? Are there 
no facts to bear out, or to contradict, what the Scripture says of sin ; 
of repentance ; of hope ; of peace and joy in believing? 

Some, and in our day many, know divine things in a way of specula- 
tion ; but they are not under their operation — they feel not the powers 
of the world to come. And these are the most unlikely characters to 
be wrought upon. They are familiar with the truths of the gospel ; 
they admit all the preacher advances ; they acknowledge all he proves, 
but it has no influence over the heart and life. They believe in hell ? 
but make no attempt to flee from the wrath to come. They believe in 
heaven, but do not set their affections on things above. They believe 
in the value of the soul, and that its redemption ceaseth for ever, and 
yet neglect the only opportunity to embrace the things that belong to 
their peace. They go through the Bible, but its threatening^ do not 
alarm, and its promises do not allure them. They resist every motive. 
They have been wooed and awed a thousand times in vain. They see 
and approve better things, and follow worse. They are not happy, and 
contrive not to be miserable. They are in the jaws of death, and yet 
are at ease in Zion. What paradoxes, what contradictions are you! 
Of what worth is your knowledge? To know a refuge, and never 
enter it! To know a remedy, and never apply it! To know good, and 
never partake of it! This will not only leave you to perish, but 
deprive you of excuse, and aggravate your sin and condemnation. Like 
Uriah, with his fatal letter, you carry information that will place you 
in the front of the battle. Be not satisfied, therefore, till you know 
these things to purpose — which can only be by your knowing them 
experimentally. 

Then your heart will be established in grace, and you will be so 



344 MORNING EXERCISES. 

confirmed in the truth, that you will not be led away by the error of the 
wicked, to fall from your own steadfastness. 

Then you will desire greater degrees of it, and having tasted that 
the Lord is gracious, your prayers will be, " Lord, evermore give us this 
bread." 

Then you will be excited and qualified to address others. You will 
speak from the heart, and recommend a tried remedy, a remedy that has 
effectually cured yourselves. "Lo this, we have searched it, so it is: 
hear it, and know thou it for thy good." 



JULY 22. 

" To him that overcometh." Rey. 3 : 21. 

There are seven addresses of this kind, closing the seven epistles 
which John was to write, and send to the churches which were in Asia : 
to Ephesus, and Smyrna, and Pergamos, and Thyatira, and Sardis, and 
Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Overlooking what is peculiar to each of 
them, let us notice what is common to all. Four things are so. 

First, all of them regard a particular character. It is a successful 
soldier : him that overcometh. This reminds us of the nature of the 
Christian's life. It is a warfare. It was such, unquestionably, in the 
days of the apostles. We read of their wrestling with principalities 
and powers : of their fighting the good fight of faith ; of their resist- 
ing unto blood. If it be said, " The language is figurative," we allow 
it. Yet it must, or we are trifled with, imply realities. And what are 
these ? If it be said, " Religion is not the same thing now as it was 
then," we ask, When was it changed, and by whom ; and what is it at 
present ? What would be thought of a preacher who should come for- 
ward in public, and say, A religious life was a difficult thing once, but it 
is a very easy one now? The first Christians were required, in order 
to be the disciples of Christ, to deny themselves, and take up their 
cross, and follow him in their generation ; but all this is dispensed with 
now ! He may prophesy falsely, and the people may love to have it so, 
but what will be done in the end thereof ? If therefore you think your- 
selves in the way everlasting, without knowing any thing of this spir- 
itual warfare, you are in a pitiable condition ; and pertain to the strong 
man armed, who keeps Ms palace and goods in peace. 

Secondly, all of them are attached to an individual. Not to them 
that conquer, but to him that overcometh. As much as to say, Each is 
perceived by me in the crowd, and if all in the church should prove 
corrupt, and only one maintain his fidelity, faint, yet pursuing, let him 
not be ashamed or afraid. He shall be confessed before my Father and 
the holy angels. For him that honors me, I will honor. 

Thirdly, all of them contain the assurance of some reward of grace. 
Such is the fruit of paradise, the hidden manna — a crown of life — the 
white stone — the morning star — white raiment — a pillar in the temple 
of God — a seat with the Saviour on his throne. But who can describe 



JULY 23. 345 

or comprehend these remunerations ? They are yet to be revealed. But 
we know enough of them to animate us in the conflict, and to convince 
us that godliness is profitable unto all things. 

Fourthly, all represent the Lord Jesus as the author and bestower of 
every honor and indulgence. I will make — I will give — I will grant, says 
He who procured all for us, and in whom all the fulness dwells. The 
joy set before him, for which he endured the cross and despised the 
shame, was the gratification of his benevolence in receiving gifts for 
men. And he shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. 
He saves them spiritually now. He shall raise up their bodies at the 
last day. And He shall say to those on his right hand. Come, ye blessed 
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the founda- 
tion of the world. 

He shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all 
them that believe. Amen. 



JULY 23. 

"For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all 
them that call upon thee." Psa. 86 : 5. 

The first word, " for," shows that the text contains a reason for 
something ; and it was this, as we see by the preceding verse, " Unto 
thee, Lord, do I lift up my soul." We learn from it of what impor- 
tance it is to place and keep the Supreme Being before the eye of the 
mind, in an amiable and inviting character, when we have to do with 
him. Tell me not, there is danger in such representations ; they may 
gender presumption. They may : every thing is liable to abuse. But 
we are saved by hope. By withdrawing this confidence in God, man 
fell ; and he can only be restored by replacing it in him. The first step 
of a sinner in returning to God, must result from this trust. Accordingly 
the design of revelation is to produce and support it. " For whatso- 
ever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that 
we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." 
The same is said of the mediation of Christ : " By him we believe in 
God, who raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory, that our 
faith and hope might be in God." More are destroyed by despair than 
by presumption. When once a man says there is no hope, he becomes 
abandoned ; and the despondence he feels is the strongest link in the 
chain that binds him in an unconverted state. Let there be therefore 
always a refuge open, and into which a sinner, when he looks back 
and wishes to enter, may return. Tell him that yet there is room. Tell 
him that God is good and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto 
all them that call upon him. 

And from hence, let me also learn that when we have no comfort 
arising from personal assurance, there is encouragement enough in the 
general views which the Scripture gives us of God to induce us to wait 
on the Lord, and keep his way. David does not here say, I will lift up 



346 MORNING EXERCISES. 

my soul to Him, for lie is my God, and he has given me the heritage of 
them that fear his name ; but he looks to his goodness, and readiness to 
forgive, and the plenteousness and impartiality of his mercy. These 
considerations do not require me to ascertain, before I come to him, 
that I am a saint ; but tell me to come as a sinner, and assure me that 
he will in no wise cast me out. When I know not that I have grace, 
how delightful is it to know that it is attainable ; and to hear a voice 
saying, ■" Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." 
Thus Mr. Scott said, when dying, that those scriptures refreshed and 
comforted him most, which were not limited to a particular class, but 
open to all. 

Yet however good and forgiving and merciful he is, this is nothing 
to those who refuse or neglect to " call upon him." Such blessed assur- 
ances are not intended to make us careless, but to excite and animate 
our applications to him. Prayer is the way in which He, who has a 
right to determine, and who cannot err, has chosen for our obtaining 
his favors. Yet I will be inquired of. Ask, and ye shall have ; seek, 
and ye shall find. 

Those therefore that live without prayer, are shut out from the 
blessedness. But this is not all. They incur, also, the curse which 
results from the contempt of his grace. There is no aggravation of 
misery like the consciousness of patience exhausted, kindness abused, 
opportunity lost. But lost entirely by our own fault; lost for ever! 
This conviction will, be the food of the worm that never dies, and the 
fuel of the fire that never shall be quenched. 



JULY 24. 
"Prove me now." Mal. 3 : 10. 

There is nothing of which men are more tenacious than the honor 
of their veracity. How offended do they feel, if we seem to suspect the 
truth of their word, by requiring a pledge or voucher before we can 
venture upon it! If a king were to address his subjects in a way of 
privilege, and they should say, We must try thy faithfulness before we 
can trust it, he would consider himself insulted, and in wrath have 
nothing to do with them. God is veracity itself, and magnifies his 
word above all his name. And he might justly say to us, Such are my 
declarations ; dishonor me not by requiring any confirmation ; I am 
entitled to implicit credence, and if ye will not believe, surely ye shall 
not be established. But he knoweth our frame, and he knoweth the 
absolute importance of our confidence in him ; and therefore he allows 
us to acquire it in our own way, and seems more concerned for our sat- 
isfaction than for his own glory. 

And yet hereby he glorifies himself too ; for by this method he not 
only shows his kindness and condescension in accommodating himself 
to our infirmities, but obtains a sensible and satisfactory conviction in 
favor of his truth. In addition to testimony, we are furnished with ex- 






JULY 24. 347 

perience. What we have read and heard, we have brought to trial, and 
have demonstrated ourselves. So that we do not merely believe. There 
must be, indeed, a degree of faith to induce us to make the trial ; but 
when we have made it, and made it successfully, the proof increases the 
confidence of faith ; and he that thus believes has the witness in himself. 

Hence, when God invites us to prove him, it is not sinful to do it, 
yea, it would be sinful to refuse. We see this in the case of xVhaz. 
" Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of 
the Lord thy God : ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. 
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord." He did 
not decline it from confidence in God, or from humility, but from des- 
peration or indifference : " Not I ; it is useless." Isaiah so understood 
it, as appears from his answer and complaint : " Hear ye now, house 
of David ; is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary 
my God also ? ,; When He allows a privilege, it becomes us gratefully 
to use it ; and we reflect upon his kindness and wisdom, if we do not. 
Some, like Gallio, care for none of these things. They do not think 
religion or revelation worthy of proof. Hume said he had never read 
through the New Testament in his life. As much as to say, It is noth- 
ing to me whether these things be true or false. I will take no pains 
to ascertain whether we have souls as well as bodies ; whether another 
world succeeds this ; and whether, after death, there be a judgment. 

There is indeed a censurable proving of God, and it is more than 
once charged upon the Jews of old. It was founded in unbelief, and 
led them to dare his judgments. Thus Pharaoh, and thus Adam and 
Eve tried his word in his threatenings. This is always wrong. First, 
because, if the trial proves the denunciation true, the proof is useless, 
for it is derived from the infliction of the evil itself, and we are not 
convinced, but punished. Secondly, we cannot put the menaces of God 
to the test but by criminal conduct. It is only by sinning that we can 
try whether what he has threatened against sin will be accomplished, as 
the practice is the condition on which the penalty is suspended. But 
it is otherwise with the promises of God : if we find them true, we are 
saved and happy ; and we can only seek the proof of their truth in what 
is good and improving — in praying, in obedience, in the use of all the 
means which God has ordained. 

Let us then prove him, and see whether his word will come to pass 
or not. Let us prove him with regard to the freeness of his mercy. 
For he hath said, " Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous 
man his thoughts : and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have 
mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." 
Let us prove him with regard to the efficacy of his grace. For he hath 
said, " My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect 
in weakness." Let us prove him with regard to the care of his provi- 
dence. For he hath said, " There is no want to them that fear him." 
" He careth for you." " The hairs of your head are all numbered." 
Let us prove him with regard to the advantage of benevolence. For 






348 MORNING EXERCISES. 

he hath said, " God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor 
of iove, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have minis- 
tered to the saints, and do minister." Let us prove him with regard to 
the blessedness of his service. For he hath said, " Godliness is profita- 
ble unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that 
which is to come." " There is no man that hath left house, or parents, 
or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who 
shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world 
to come life everlasting." 

By how many millions has all this been proved. His word is a tried 
word ; and it has never failed in the trial, and never will fail. 

Let us make the trial for ourselves, and set to our seal that God is 
true. Thus we shall become his witnesses to others, and be able to say, 
" taste and see that the Lord is good : blessed is the man that trust- 
eth in him." 

JULY 25. 

" For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up 
unto you of your brethren, like unto me : him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he 
shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul which will not hear that 
Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." Acts 3 : 22, 23. 

There was a remarkable resemblance between Moses and the Mes- 
siah, which it would be easy to trace. But the likeness here spoken of 
regards his office. Moses was a prophet, a peculiar prophet, a preemi- 
nent prophet. He introduced and established the whole of the Jewish 
dispensation with miracles, wonders, and signs. He was the mediator 
between God and the people. Other prophets received divine commu- 
nications through various mediums, but he received every thing from 
God immediately. " If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will 
make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a 
dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all my house. 
With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in 
dark speeches ; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold." But 
if " the law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." 
" No man hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son who is in 
the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." Yea, in all things he 
has the preeminence. Moses was faithful as a servant, but Christ as a 
Son over his own house. The commission of Moses was confined to one 
nation ; Christ is not only the glory of his people Israel, but a light to 
lighten the Gentiles — the light of the world. 

Every office the Saviour sustains requires a corresponding disposi- 
tion in them to whom he is sent. As he is a prophet, we are commanded 
" to hear him." It cannot mean a mere hearing. Then many would be 
safe who are condemned already. But it includes our believing his in- 
structions with a faith unfeigned, and our cordial submission to them ; 
or, as the apostle expresses it, our obeying from the heart the form of 
doctrine delivered us. Blessed are they that hear the word of God and 



JULY 25. 349 

"keep it." If he commands us to lay up treasure in heaven, and we 
mind earthly things ; if he tells us to deny ourselves, and take up our 
cross and follow him, and we live to the lusts of men ; if he says, Look 
unto me, and be ye saved, and we go about to establish our own right- 
eousness, we do not hear him, but despise and reject him. He that 
hath his commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth him, and 
he it is that heareth him. 

We are not only to hear him, but to hear him " in all things whatso- 
ever he shall say unto us." Some dislike the mysterious parts of Chris- 
tianity ; some, the humiliating ; some, the practical. But the only in- 
quiry of a true disciple is, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" He 
will not dictate ; he will not object ; he will not prefer one thing to 
another ; but say, " I esteem all thy commandments concerning all things 
to be right, and I hate every false way." The test of real obedience is 
to " do all things without murmurings and disputings." 

Notwithstanding our duty and our responsibility, it is here supposed 
that some " will not hear this Prophet." This is a sad intimation, and 
we might wonder at the fact. But the depravity of human nature will 
account for it, and all history confirms it. Some ridicule and oppose. 
Many never attend the means of grace. Numbers have only a " form of 
godliness," while they deny the power thereof. 

And to what are they exposed ? " It shall come to pass, that every 
soul that will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the 
people." Mark the impartiality of the sentence, "every soul." The 
refusers may be many, and they may differ from each other, but, though 
each may turn to his own way, all are going astray. There is only one 
path of life, but there are many avenues to death. And it matters not 
what our particular character is, whether profligate or formalist, Phar- 
isee or hypocrite, he that believeth not shall be damned ; and without 
holiness no man shall see the Lord. See the nature of the doom, " shall 
be cut off." This is not correction, but excision ; not however annihi- 
lation—this would be a privilege. They shall seek death, but they 
shall not find it. In vain will they ask the rocks to fall on them, and 
the mountains to cover them. The penalty is not the loss of their 
being, but of their happiness and of their hope, the destruction of body 
and soul in hell for ever. Observe the dreadfulness of the aggravation, 
" from among the people." They are intermixed now, and some of them 
very peculiarly. They attend in the same sanctuary ; they live under 
the same roof ; they are united by the ties of friendship and of blood. 
But their privileged situation and condition only evinced and increased 
their depravity. " Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not 
learn righteousness : in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly ; 
and will not behold the majesty of the Lord." Their present advan- 
tages, therefore, will afford them no security, neither will they be able 
to retain them. The wicked shall not stand in the judgment, nor sin- 
ners in the congregation of the righteous. But, severed from the just, 
they will be led forth with the workers of iniquity, and carry away 



350 MORNING EXERCISES. 

with them into the place of torment only the remembrance and the 
guilt of all they neglected and abused here. 

" See then that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped 
not who refused him that spake on earth, how much more shall not we 
escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven 1" 



JULY 26. 



" The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field ; the which when a man 
hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth 
that field." Matt. 13 : 44. 

How well may the Saviour call the gospel a treasure ! The tongue 
of an angel could not describe its value and preciousness. It meets and 
relieves every want of the soul. It blesses us with all spiritual bless- 
ings. It is the true riches ; unsearchable riches ; durable riches. It 
profits in the day of wrath. It delivers from death. It ennobles in the 
world to come. 

A man may find a treasure hid in a field by accident or by search. 
There is nothing casual in the salvation of a sinner as to God ; but as 
to himself, the event may be wholly undesigned and unlooked for. He 
may have been seeking, but not for this object. Saul was searching 
when Samuel met him, but it was for his father's asses, and not for the 
kingdom. Thus the Lord is found of them that sought him not, and 
asked not for him. Matthew was sitting at the receipt of custom when 
the Saviour said, Follow me. Saul was in a journey of iniquity when 
the Saviour appeared to him in the way, and called him by his grace. 
Some have gone to the house of God from mere custom and curiosity, 
or a design to ridicule, but have returned to pray, and have said, Lord, 
what wilt thou have me to do ? But, says Henry, though he is some- 
times found of them that seek him not, he is always found of them that 
seek him. This was the case with Cornelius. He was a devout man, 
and feared God, with all his house ; praying and giving alms always, 
when Peter was sent to tell him words by which he was to be saved. 
Nathaniel had retired beneath the fig-tree to read and reflect and pray 
when the Saviour took knowledge of him, and said, Thou shalt see 
greater things than these. And there are those now who are awakened 
rather than enlightened ; they feel their spiritual wants, and are using 
the means of grace. And whatever ignorance or legality mixes with 
their efforts, they are in the search, and they shall find. He who has 
touched the heart, and turned it from the world, will fulfil the desire of 
them that fear him ; he also will hear their cry, and will save them. 
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord. 

The emotions of the finder are naturally portrayed. First, when he 
hath found the treasure, he hideth it. When we are anxious to secure 
a thing, we conceal it. The way, therefore, is here used for the end ; 
and hiding refers not to secrecy, but safety. The allusion is to that 
holy jealousy recommended by the apostle, when he says, Let us there- 



JULY 26. 351 

fore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of 
us should seem to come short of it : looking diligently, lest any man 
fail of the grace of God. To that trembling at God's word, when we 
are more affected with the inviting than with the awful parts. To that 
solicitude to obtain which always genders apprehension. Oh, how 
shall I make all this my own ? Oh, if I should miss it ! What must I 
do to be saved ? 

Secondly, he feels joy thereof. Not that firm and glorious joy which 
arises in the established Christian from a consciousness of possession, 
and who can say, I know that my Redeemer liveth ; but the joy that re- 
sults from the discovery of the reality, the excellency, the suitableness, 
the all-sufficiency, the attainableness of the blessing, and is called, Re- 
joicing in hope. The patient, while the disease yet oppresses him, can- 
not feel at ease ; but he is gladdened when he hears of the arrival of a 
physician, bringing with him a remedy that was never applied in vain. 

Thirdly, he goeth — for now it is impossible for him, like many, to sit 
still — and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth the field ; that is, he is 
fully determined to submit to the cost of procuring it, whatever it may 
be. We can offer no equivalency for the possession ; nor is this the 
meaning of the word. In this way, were we to buy, it would not be 
without money, and without price. But the meaning is simply exchange, 
as in buying, we part with something to gain something. Hereby we 
show our estimation ; for what stronger proof can we give of our valu- 
ation of an object, than parting with all we have for the sake of it? 

And the case here is such, that we must make a choice and a sacri- 
fice to evince our preference and attain our desire. Some things must 
be absolutely given up ; some conditionally ; and all, as to supreme re- 
gard and dependence. Are we willing then to part with our sins — all 
our sins: even our bosom lusts ; the right hand ; the right eye? Are 
we willing to part with our own wisdom, not leaning to our own under- 
standing, but receiving the kingdom of God as little children, and be- 
coming fools that we may be wise ? Are we willing to part with self- 
righteousness? not with the practice of obedience, morality, and good 
works, but only the substitution of them in the room of the Saviour, and 
reliance on them for our acceptance before God, and the pleading of 
them as a title to heaven, instead of saying, In the Lord have I right- 
eousness and strength. Are we willing to part with the world ; the 
promises of superiors ; the applause of companions ; the smiles of 
friends ; the ties of the dearest relations? For "he that loveth father 
or mother more than me, is not worthy of me." 

This is a hard saying. But every thing requires sacrifice, and every 
thing in proportion to the importance of the attainment. And here the 
prize is infinite. And we are more than indemnified for all we suffer 
or lose. "Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, 
or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's 
sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in 
the world to come life everlasting." 



352 MORNING EXERCISES. 

JULY 27. 

"This grace wherein vre stand." Rom. 5 : 2. 

What is this state ? And what is this standing ? The state is a 
state of grace, and means the privileged condition in which all Chris- 
tians are found, though they were by nature the children of wrath, even 
as others. It is expressed by our apostle in the preceding words : Be- 
ing justified by faith, we haye peace with God, through our Lord Jesus 
Christ : by whom also we have access by faith into this grace. 

It may well be called " this grace," for it only flows from, and only 
proclaims the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us 
by Christ Jesus. How dreadful is it to have God for our adversary! 
He in whom we live ; he who is about our path, and our lying down ; 
he on whose side all creatures rise up and arrange themselves ; he 
whose look is death, and whose frown is hell ! What were our alarms 
when we began to discover our danger, and conscience induced us to 
cry, "What must I do to be saved?' 7 And when we saw the storm 
passing off ; when we were told that the dreadful breach was made up ; 
when we believed that God was pacified towards us for all that we had 
done, what were our feelings then, but life from the dead ? And in that 
day we said, " Lord, I will praise thee : though thou wast angry with 
me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me." 

But we may "foe reconciled to another, so as to be forgiven, and not 
be admitted into the intimacies of friendship. After Absalom was, 
through the intercession of Joab, allowed to return to Jerusalem, two 
years elapsed before he was allowed to see the king's face. But God 
favors us with the most familiar intercourse and communion. We come 
boldly to the throne of grace. In every thing, by prayer and supplica- 
tion, we make known our requests. We dwell in his house ; we eat at 
his table ; we walk with God ; we lean on his arm, and on his bosom. 
He honors us with his confidence, and trusts us with his secrets. He 
allows us to put him in remembrance, and plead with him, and say — can 
his condescension go farther ? — " Concerning the work of my hands, 
command ye me." 

This grace means, also, approbation and complacency. He takes 
pleasure in them that fear him. He rests in his love. He joys over 
them with singing. They are his children, his bride, his jewels, his 
glory. And as their persons, so their services are accepted in the Be- 
loved. Poor as they are, he smiles upon them. Their prayer is his 
delight ; their alms are the odor of a sweet smell. He views their mo- 
tive, and passes by their mistakes. He regards their wishes and design, 
and says, in their failures, "It is well that it was in thy heart." 

Hence follows sympathy and compassion. What is done to them he 
resents as a personal injury ; for he that toucheth them toucheth the 
apple of his eye. In all their affliction he is afflicted. Though he cor- 
rects them, it is for their profit. He takes the rod with reluctance, and 
he lays it aside with pleasure. He cannot withstand their yielding and 



JULY 28. 353 

their tears. "Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? For 
since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still." 

In this grace they stand. Standing, here, intends firmness, stability, 
permanence. It is sometimes opposed to condemnation. If thou, Lord, 
shouldest mark iniquity, Lord, who shall stand ? To which we may 
answer, No one that appeals to his own obedience, but every one that 
is found in Christ. There is no condemnation to them that are in him. 
For "who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, 
that is risen again ; who is even at the right hand of God, who also 
maketh intercession for us." Sometimes it is also opposed to defeat. 
Take to you the whole armor of God, that ye may stand in the evil day ; 
and having done all, may stand. And of this they may be assured ; for 
whatever disproportion there is between them and their enemies, the 
worm Jacob shall thresh the mountains. Some warriors have barely 
overcome ; such another victory as they gained would have almost 
ruined them ; but a Christian, having vanquished all his adversaries, 
stands with his feet on their necks, and is ready to engage as many 
more. Yea, in all these things we are more than conquerors through 
Him that loved us. 

The more privileged any condition is, the more anxieties does it 
awaken. It is easy therefore to imagine what a Christian must feel if 
he apprehended any uncertainty as to the state he is in. But that state 
is as safe as it is blessed. "Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor 
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor 
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us 
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

" Arise, my soul, my joyful powers, 
And triumph in my God : 
Awake, my voice, and loud proclaim 
His glorious grace abroad. 

He raised me from the deeps of sin, 

The gates of gaping hell ; 
And fixed my standing more secure 

Than 't was before I fell." 



JULY 28. 

"Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.'' 1 Chrox. 16 :10. 

And yet many believe, or pretend to believe, that religion is a joy- 
less thing. 

The heart has very little, if any share in other enjoyments. Those 
delights only gratify the appetites, and strike the senses, and charm the 
imagination. But where is the heart? Even in laughter the heart is 
sorrowful, and the end of that mirth is heaviness. In religion the heart 
finds relief, repose, satisfaction, joy. " Yes ; the heart of those who are 
fully assured of their condition, who have already attained, or have far 
advanced in the divine life." Nay, says the prophet, Let the heart of 

Mom. fixer 23 



354 MORNING EXERCISES. 

them rejoice that seek the Lord. And there are three reasons to 
authorize it. 

First, because it is an evidence of grace. They may draw a con- 
clusion against themselves, and refuse to be comforted ; but no man can 
seek to know and enjoy and serve and resemble God from mere nature. 
Actions may not indicate the state of the mind, but desires spring from 
it. We may be forced to do, but we cannot be compelled to prefer and 
to choose. 

Secondly, because their success is sure. This is the case in no other 
pursuit. In the fields of worldly labor, we may spend our strength for 
naught and in vain. A rival may bear off from us a prize which we 
have long been chasing, and at the very moment we are seizing it. The 
cup of enjoyment, filled with eager hope, is often dashed to the ground 
from the very lip that touches it. But their heart shall live that seek 
God. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall 
doubtless return again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. 
Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they 
shall be filled. Is there unfaithfulness with God? Did he ever say to 
the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me, in vain ? 

Thirdly, because, when they have found, their aim and their wish in 
seeking are fully answered. All they can desire is treasured up in 
him ; and they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. As 
to success in other cases, the wise man tells us, all is vanity, and vexa- 
tion of spirit : vexation if we lose, and vanity if we gain. To one of 
these alternatives we are inevitably subjected. We must be disap- 
pointed either in acquiring them — and this is often the case — or in pos- 
sessing them — and this is always the case. 

" In vain we seek a heaven below the sky. 
The world has false, but flattering charms : 
Its distant joys show big in our esteem, 
But lessen still as they draw near the eye : 
In our embrace the visions die ; 
And when we grasp the airy forms, 
We lose the pleasing dream." 

But while every thing earthly falls short of hope, it is not possible to 
form an expectation adequate to the riches of the glory of the inherit- 
ance in the saints. What is it to have God himself for our portion and 
exceeding joy ! To be blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly 
places in Christ ! To realize a happiness that solitude increases, that 
trouble improves, that death perfects ! As it is written, "Eye hath not 
seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the 
things which God hath prepared for them that love him." 

While thus the heart of them that seek him should rejoice, the heart 
of others should be induced to seek him. At present he is not far from 
any one of you. He is even inviting you to seek him. Yet a little 
while, and it will be too late. Therefore, " Seek ye the Lord while he 
may be found ; and call ye upon him while he is near." 



JULY 29. 355 

JULY 29. 
" To whom he showed himself alive after his passion." Acts 1 : 3. 
How much will eternity reveal to our astonished minds : and in 
reference to a thousand things, we may safely follow the advice of the 
poet, 

"Wait the great teacher Death, and God adore." 

The Scripture is given to establish our faith, and comfort our 
hearts, and sanctify our lives, but not to amuse us and to gratify our 
curiosity. Our Saviour rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, 
but between these events there elapsed a considerable portion of time. 
During these intervening weeks, where was he, and how employed? 
One thing only we know, that he frequently showed himself to his 
disciples. 

But what purposes were these intermediate appearances intended to 
answer ? The Lord does not always give an account of any of his mat- 
ters, and we ought to be peculiarly cautious in assigning reasons for his 
conduct who says, " My ways are not your ways, and my thoughts are 
not your thoughts." We cannot, however, err in remarking, 

That they were the accomplishment of his word. He had said, 
" Ye now have sorrow ; but I will see you again, and your hearts shall 
rejoice ; and your joy no man taketh from you." " I will not leave you 
comfortless, I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth 
me no more ; but ye see me." Now though these declarations extend 
to his final coming to judgment, and his advent in the gifts and graces 
of the Holy Ghost, yet they more immediately insure his manifestation 
of himself between his resurrection and his glory. And if the disciples 
understood it not at the time, the meaning would be explained by the 
verification. And they would see how well they might in every other 
case rely upon his promise. 

They were also to convince them how fully he had forgiven them, 
and thus to gain the confidence of their hearts. For they had behaved 
very, unworthily. After all he had done for them, and their own pro- 
fessions of attachment, when the hour of trial came, they all forsook 
him and fled. How much he felt their defection, we learn from his 
complaint : " I looked for some to take pity, and there was none ; and 
for comforter, and I found none." And their own consciences upbraided 
and condemned them for their vileness. And therefore had he gone 
away to heaven, and they had not seen him, they would have feared his 
resentment and displeasure. But he appeared to them again and again, 
and always with kindness in his looks, and peace on his lips ; and at 
last, laying his hands on them, he was taken up to heaven in the very 
act of blessing them, thus telling them that he had the same heart as 
ever, and was more than pacified towards them after all that they had 
done. 

They were also to evince the certainty of his resurrection. The 
importance of this event rendered it necessary that it should be placed 



356 MORNING EXERCISES. 

beyond the possibility of all reasonable doubt. The disciples were not 
eagerly credulous of the fact, but slow of heart to believe ; and their 
diffidence has been overruled to confirm our faith. For they required 
and obtained every kind and degree of proof; and these deponents were 
many ; and were eye and ear witnesses ; and even handled the Word of 
life ; and did eat and drink with him ; and for a length of time ; and 
in cases of a most peculiar nature. They could not therefore be mis- 
taken, and we cannot be deceived. He is risen indeed ! And therefore 
he is the Son of God. And we are not in our sins. The dead in Christ 
are not perished. And because he lives, we shall live also. 

They were also to impart information on subjects not touched, or 
only hinted at before, because the disciples were not able to bear them, 
and the proper hour was not yet come. And therefore the sacred his- 
torian says, that he not only showed himself alive after his passion, by 
many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, but also spoke to 
them of things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And this led them 
to think so differently of this kingdom from what they had done before, 
and to wait by prayer for his coming in righteousness, peace, and joy in 
the Holy Ghost. 

But when he said, I am no more in this world, and also, Lo, I am 
with you always, even unto the end of the world ; and when he said, 
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that lov- 
eth me : and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will 
love him, and will manifest myself to him," surely he intended a mani- 
festation beyond his appearance between his grave and his glory. And 
this we ourselves may hope to claim. But how is it that he will mani- 
fest himself unto us, and not unto the world ? We disclaim all preten- 
sions to personal manifestations. Some have contended for these, and, 
like Colonel Gardiner, have believed that they corporeally saw him. 
But surely this was mistaking a lively impression on the mind for a 
reality. The case speaks for itself. Being embodied, he could render 
himself visible ; but then it would be a true representation — we should 
see him as he is. And accordingly Saul saw him, when he appeared 
in his way to Damascus, with a body glorious above the brightness of 
the sun. But these good people always see him as he is not : they al- 
ways see him bleeding on the cross : but he is not there, he dieth no 
more, death hath no more dominion over him. We need no sensible 
appearance. 

But there is a spiritual manifestation absolutely necessary. Paul 
experienced this, or the outward vision would have been of little avail : 
" It pleased God," says he, " to reveal his Son in me." And our Sav- 
iour himself said, He that seeth the Son, and believeth on him, hath 
everlasting life. It is a perception by faith of his glory, so as to induce 
us to love him and trust in him and follow him. 

There are also special manifestations of himself — we mean, as to 
clearness and enjoyment — occasionally experienced by his people, and 
which excite them to exclaim, " This is none other but the house of God, 



JULY 30. 357 

and this is the gate of heaven." These are not their food, but cordials. 
They are regulated by their condition and exigencies. But though they 
are limited as to number and degree, they are most desirable and valu- 
able. They make us better acquainted with heaven than all the de- 
scriptions contained in sermons and books. And they make us long 
after a state in which his servants shall serve him, and they shall see 
his face. " And so shall they be for ever with the Lord." 



JULY 30. 



"This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples, after that he 
was risen from the dead." John 21 : 14. 

Not the third time in succession, for he had appeared before this to 
the women, and to Cephas, and to James, and to the two disciples going 
to Emmaus, but the third time in kind ; that is, the third time when 
the disciples were together. 

" And on this wise showed he himself." The place was, " the sea of 
Tiberias," called also, the lake of Gennesareth, and the lake of Galilee. 
Who would not like to visit this sea, whose, surface and whose shores 
so often felt the presence, and witnessed the miracles of the Son of 
God? 

The favored party were, "Simon Peter, and Thomas, called Didy- 
mus " — he had lost much by his absence before, but now he keeps close 
to his brethren — "and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee"' — we thought 
well of him from the beginning ; for though at first he had some infirm- 
ities, he was open to conviction, and loved retirement ; and he who saw 
him under the fig-tree, assured him that he should see greater things 
than these — " and the sons of Zebedee " — John and James — " and two 
other of his disciples," who are not named. But it may be asked, How 
came the disciples here, seeing when he rose from the dead they were — 
unless perhaps Nathanael — at Jerusalem? The Saviour had said, 
"The hour cometh, and now is, when ye shall be scattered every one to 
his own ;" and it is said, " Then the disciples went away again unto 
their own home." This was the effect of fear. But though fear made 
them flee, yet their repairing down into Galilee was enjoined them by the 
angel who appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. And 
Jesus himself had said, before his death, " After I am risen, I will go 
before you into Galilee." They believed his word, and obeyed ; and 
He was faithful that promised. 

But how did he find them engaged ? " Simon Peter," who had a 
house of his own, and perhaps had retained the implements of his busi- 
ness, " saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go 
with thee." This was not, as some imagine, blamable ; as if they ought 
to have remained fasting and praying, or as if this exertion was the 
effect of despondency with regard to his appearance, and his care to 
provide for them. They acted commendably. It showed their humil- 
ity ; that though advanced, they were not elated, nor ashamed of their 



358 MORNING EXERCISES. 

former engagement, and their wish not to be burdensome to any, if they 
could supply their own wants, and with quietness work, and eat their own 
bread ; and also their diligence, in redeeming their time, and not wait- 
ing for him in idleness. And he appeared to them, though not engaged 
in a religious exercise, but in a secular, honest calling, as the angels 
had appeared to the shepherds, when keeping their flocks by night. 
And if he came to any of us, by death, how much better would it be for 
him to find us active in fulfilling the duties of a useful station, than 
telling our beads, or kneeling before a skull or a crucifix in a cell. 
When Elijah was consciously waiting for the chariot that was to carry 
him to heaven, what did he ? Retire to fast and pray ? No ; but he 
continued talking with his pupil and successor, for his improvement, 
determined to be useful to the last, and to live, as long as he breathed. 
And blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find 
so doing. 

But "that night they caught nothing." Though, in an ordinary way, 
the hand of the diligent maketh rich, yet this rule has its exceptions. 
These should be sufficient to teach us that the blessing of the Lord 
it maketh rich ; and that, except the Lord build the house, they labor 
in vain that build it. The race is not always to the swift, nor the bat- 
tle to the strong. Men, and even good men, may for a while be baffled 
in their efforts, to teach them the lesson of dependence upon Providence, 
and to keep them, when success cometh, from sacrificing to their own 
net, and burning incense to their own drag, as if by these their portion 
hath been made plenteous. 

He loves to astonish as well as relieve his people ; he therefore 
often delays his appearance, till our hopelessness has prepared us for 
the display of his glory_to the greatest advantage. Weeping may en- 
dure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. " When the morning 
was come, Jesus stood on the shore." But they " knew not that it was 
Jesus," supposing him to be some common person waiting their coming 
ashore, to purchase what they had caught. And this was the meaning 
of the question, " Children, have ye any meat?" that is, Have you suc- 
ceeded in fishing ? And have you any provision to dispose of? Upon 
their answering, No ; he showed his omniscience. He saw where a 
shoal was approaching the boat, and ordered them to " cast the net on 
the right side of the ship," assuring them that they should find. They 
did so ; and who ever lost by obeying him ? So signal was their suc- 
cess, that they were not able to draw the net for the multitude of 
fishes. 

Thus good men sometimes see their affairs, after many a fruitless 
struggle, taking a favorable turn, and succeeding beyond their expec- 
tation. " At evening-tide it shall be light." " It is in vain for you to 
rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows : for so he giv- 
eth his beloved sleep." We shall look at this narrative again. 



JULY 31. 359 

JULY 31. 

"And on this wise showed he himself." John 21 : 1. 

We have traced this appearance down to the moment when the dis- 
ciples ascertained who he was. John recognized him first, reminded, 
as it would appear, by a former miracle of the same kind, and on the 
performance of Which Peter had exclaimed, Depart from me, for I am a 
sinful man, Lord. Yet Peter was not at present struck with the 
recollection himself. But no sooner does John say to him, " It is the 
Lord/ 7 than the ship can hold him no longer ; but, girding himself with 
his fisher's coat, he plunges into the sea to reach him. What rashness ! 
What zeal ! How perfectly in character does this man always appear ! 
He was fervent, but acted by feeling rather than reflection. He had a 
warm heart. The Lord had lately turned and looked upon him in the 
judgment-hall, and he went out and wept bitterly. He had had much 
forgiven, and he loved much. The Saviour had more than pardoned 
his late sad conduct, and had sent a message to him distinctively, " Go, 
tell my disciples, and Peter." And how could he love him enough? 
And " love is strong as death. Many waters cannot quench love ; nei- 
ther can the floods drown it." 

The rest of the disciples followed slowly, but surely, dragging the 
net. Had all done like Peter, the fish had been abandoned, and the 
vessel left to be drifted and injured. While we admire some, we must 
not condemn others. The dispositions and the duties of men are va- 
rious ; and while some perform splendid actions, and excite notice, oth- 
ers go ploddingly on in the sober discharge of their common calling. 
But they also have the testimony that they please God. 

What did they find when they came to land ? "A fire of coals, and 
fish laid thereon, and bread." This was to show that he cared for them ; 
that they should be furnished not only with grace sufficient for them, 
but with food convenient for them, and that verily they should be fed. 
He had reminded them of this on a former occasion. When he sent 
them forth on their missionary excursion unprovided, they had misgiv- 
ings how they were to be supplied, though they were ashamed to make 
known their fears ; but he who employed them was bound to maintain 
them ; and when they returned, he said, When I sent you forth without 
purse and scrip, lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. " 
fear the Lord, ye his saints ; for there is no want to them that fear him. 
The young lions do lack and suffer hunger ; but they that seek the Lord 
shall not want any good thing." You serve a kind master, and the 
world is his, and the fulness thereof. Jehovah-jireh ! But we read, 
u Thou shalt eat the labor of thy hand f and nothing has such a peculiar 
relish as what is gained by the blessing of God upon our own endeav- 
ors. He therefore also said unto them, " Bring of the fish which ye 
have now caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full 
of great fishes, a hundred and fifty and three : and for all there were 
so many, yet was not the net broken." And thus, while they must have 



360 MORNING EXERCISES. 

marvelled and adored at what was nothing less than a miracle, they 
were not only supplied for their immediate use, but the sale of the cap- 
ture would pay their expenses back to Jerusalem, and while waiting 
there for the promise of the Father. 

Filled with reverence and awe, they seemed reserved, and disposed 
to keep back. He therefore invited them : " Come and dine. And none 
of his disciples durst ask him, Who art thou ? knowing that it was the 
Lord." But still keeping back, "Jesus then cometh" to them, "and 
taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise." The meat was ordi- 
nary, and coarsely dressed, but it was wholesome, and the appetite of 
labor made it welcome. We do not live to eat, but eat to live. Nature 
wants little, and grace less. Luther often dined upon a herring, and 
Junius on an egg. If it be, as it is said, beneath a philosopher to be 
nice and finical in his food, how much more is it so in a Christian, in a 
minister ? Jesus censured Martha, and commended Mary. The table 
He spreads for us is frugal and simple. It is the world, the flesh, the 
devil, disease, and death bring in the rest. No mention is made of his 
blessing the repast, but there is no doubt but he did ; it was his con- 
stant usage, to teach us to be religious in our common actions, and that 
man liveth, not by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out 
of the mouth of God. 

But did he actually partake of the provision himself? What says 
Peter ? " He showed him openly ; not to all the people, but unto wit- 
nesses chosen before of God, even to us who did eat and drink with him 
after he rose from the dead." Did he rise with the same body that he 
dred ? " Behold," said he, " my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; 
handle me, and see ; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me 
have." Did his body undergo any change before his ascension ? Will 
things in a future state be possible that are not necessary ? We know 
but in part ; and the sacred writers prophesy but in part. 

But, "blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." 
Let me be one of the number to whom he shall say, " Ye are they which 
have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a 
kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and 
drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve 
tribes of Israel." 



AUGUST 1. 

" So when they had dined." John 21 : 15. 

They did not, we presume, continue long at table. Table indeed 
they had none. The place was the sea-side. The viands, bread 
and fish. The fare dressed and served coarsely. Yet part of it was 
miraculously provided before they landed, and part of it supplied from 
the wonderful capture they had just made. Here were seven apostles 
and the Lord of angels. Who, then, would not have been at the 



AUGUST 1. 361 

homely meal? Who, having any piety or wisdom, would not have pre- 
ferred the entertainment, thus dignified, however humble, to the sump- 
tuous feast of Belshazzar or Ahasuerus? Where there is much provis- 
ion for the flesh, there is commonly little repast for the mind. And this 
is found after the meal. It has often been lamented, that the best part 
of society should be expected to withdraw as soon as dinner is ended ; 
but females may be assured that, with few exceptions, they sustain no 
loss by their withdrawn! ent. 

But here, when they had dined, discourse followed which had been 
deemed worthy the page of inspiration ; and was written for our learn- 
ing and admonition. It commenced with an inquiry. " Jesus saith to 
Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? 
He saith unto him, Yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith 
unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, 
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord ; 
thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He 
saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? 
Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou 
me ? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things ; thou know- 
est that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." 

The question was put to Peter because of his late conduct. Instead 
therefore of showing any preeminence in him, it implied his fall, and 
tended to his humiliation. This, and this alone, was the reason why 
our Lord thus freely, yet tenderly, addressed him in the presence of his 
brethren. It was necessary both for his sake and for their sakes. 

The question was first put comparatively: "Lovest thou me more 
than these ?" There is something ambiguous and equivocal in the 
expression. Bid our Lord, by these, refer to the fish, the nets, the boat, 
his present occupation and profit ? Doddridge says this is a forced and 
frigid sense. But this does not appear. By this calling, Peter had 
gained his subsistence ; he might naturally be attached to it, and feel a 
degree of reluctance at leaving it without any other means of support 
in view : and as our Lord would be freely served, he inquires whether 
Peter was willing to resign all, and go a fishing no more, and be wholly 
engaged in his service. Or did he point to the rest of the disciples 
when he said, Lovest thou me more than these ? That is, more than 
these thy brethren love me? To this Whitby objects, because it would 
be impossible for Peter to answer such an inquiry, as he could not know 
the hearts of others and compare them with his own. But the question 
refers not to Peter's knowledge, but to his opinion. He had already 
expressed a degree of self-preference as well as self-confidence, when he 
said, " Though all should be offended because of thee, yet will I never 
be offended ;" and he had now done more than the other disciples in 
swimming to shore, to reach him first. "Am I, then," says Jesus, "to 
suppose that thou lovest me more than these ?" Peter's reply shows 
his improvement. " I have done with judging others, and I say nothing 
of the degree of my love, but thou knowest the reality." 



362 MORNING EXERCISES. 

It was thrice renewed. Thrice is used as a kind of perfect number. 
In Peter's vision, the thing was done thrice to render it the more 
observable. There is little doubt, however, that our Saviour alluded 
to the repetition of his offence, and the forewarning he had received : 
"Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice." 

Peter, when asked the question the third time, was grieved. This 
grief was not anger at the Saviour's conduct, but pain to think that he 
had rendered his love to so dear a Master suspicious ; and fear also — 
as he kiiew he never spoke in vain — that there was a cause for his 
additional inquiry, and that it intimated an apprehension of some fresh 
peril. This sensibility showed a good frame of mind. 

To all the inquiries he replies without a moment's hesitation, and 
addresses himself in each instance to the Saviour's own knowledge, with 
an additional force in the last appeal. " Lord, thou knowest all things ; 
thou knowest that I love thee. I do not say, I shall never yield to 
temptation again ; Lord, preserve me. And I wonder not that those 
who can only judge from outward appearance think unfavorably of me, 
after all that I have done. But thou seest the heart." "We ought to 
stand clear with men ; but it is a peculiar satisfaction, when we are 
misjudged of our fellow-creatures, to know that our witness is in heaven 
and our record is on high. 

After every answer, our Lord commands him to feed his lambs and 
his sheep. Here, again, a desperate cause wants to find a proof of Pe- 
ter's supremacy. But he is not told to lord it over all the other shep- 
herds, but to do the work of a pastor himself; the very same thing 
which Peter too himself enjoins upon others : " Feed the flock of God 
that is among you." Yea, instead of his being exalted above his breth- 
ren, he is again reproved and abased. They had not forfeited their 
charge, but he had ; and it was necessary to renew it. And therefore 
now he is reconverted, he is recommissioned. If a servant had offended 
and forfeited his place, it would not be enough for the master to say, 
I forgive thee, but I can no more trust thee or employ thee. Nothing 
would be deemed a full restoration but reemployment. 

Two things may be observed here. First, the difference there is 
among the Lord's people. There are not only sheep, but lambs. These 
mean new converts and weak believers. These are not to be disre- 
garded. He does not despise the day of small things, and he tells those 
who are strong to bear the infirmities of the weak. Secondly, we see 
what the Lord requires as the principle of his service. " If you love 
me, Peter, feed my lambs, feed my sheep. I wish you to do nothing for 
me unless you do it from love. This alone will render your work your 
delight, and carry you through all your difficulties. Love is strong as 
death." And while he requires the love as the principle of the service, 
he requires the service as the proof of the love. "You cannot show 
your love to me personally, show it relatively. I have a cause, endeavor 
to promote it. I have followers, aid them ; and inasmuch a"s ye do it 
unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye do it unto me." 



AUGUST 2. 363 

This love, my soul, is the grand thing. Without it, whatever be 
my religious pretensions, I am nothing. Let me put my name in the 
place of Peter's, and suppose the Lord Jesus asking me this question, 
Dost thou love me ? 

" Lord, it is my chief complaint 
That my love is weak and faint : 
Yet I love thee, and adore ; 
Oh for grace to love thee more." 



AUGUST 2. 



" Verily, verily, I say unto thee, when thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and 
walkcdst whither thou wouldest ; but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy 
hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake 
he, signifying by what death he should glorify God." John 21 : 18, 19. 

This was another part of his discourse, " when they had dined." He 
had enjoined Peter his doing work, and now he appoints him his suf- 
fering work. In such a world as this, doing well and bearing ill are 
commonly connected. In the first days of Christianity they were 
inseparable. 

The representation may be applied to the difference there is between 
youth and age. The glory of young men is their strength. They can 
gird themselves, and go with ease and speed whither they would. And 
let them use well their powers and opportunities. Let them be active 
and useful, and prepared for the future. Other days will come ; and 
when they shall be old, they shall stretch forth their hands, and another 
shall gird them, and carry them whither they would not. Then they 
will be helpless and dependent. People long for age, but what is it but 
longing for days in which we have no pleasure ; when we shall be dim- 
sighted, and hard of hearing, and tremblings will come upon us, and 
the grasshopper will be a burden, and desire fail. These are the effects 
of the state, and if by reason of strength our years are threescore and 
ten, yet is their strength labor and sorrow. Let us secure succor 
against such a period. It is said that an old man has no friend but his 
money. But if we are kind, and live not to ourselves, we shall not 
want those who will rock the cradle of our age. And above all, God 
will be our comfort and strength, and bear and carry us, and gently 
take us to himself, where our youth shall be renewed like the eagle's, 
and mortality swallowed up of life. 

But our Lord, we are assured, designed to intimate that after Peter 
had served him as an apostle, he was to honor him as a martyr : "sig- 
nifying by what death he should glorify God." Thus, 

First, our Lord foresaw Peter's sufferings, and the manner in which 
he was to finish his course. And he foresees all that shall befall each 
of us. We know not what a day may bring forth. But nothing is left 
to chance. No event will turn up that is new to him, and for which he 
has not provided. 

Secondly, Peter was not to die till he should be old. Yery good 



364 MORNING EXERCISES. 

and useful men have been removed in the midst of life, and this is one 
of the most mysterious dispensations of Providence. But this is not 
always the case. Religion conduces to health and longevity. Many of 
God's most eminent servants have "filled their days," and come to the 
grave in a good old age, like a shock of corn fully ripe in its season. 
And the hoary head is a crown of glory when it is found in the way of 
righteousness. Such a man is not only a kind of physical wonder, that 
he should have been preserved so long with such a feeble frame, and 
exposed to so many outward dangers, but a moral wonder, that with 
such a heart, and in such a world, he should have held on his way, and 
kept his garments clean, and have been without offence. He is a monu- 
ment to the glory of divine grace. 

Thirdly, he was to die by crucifixion. This is the meaning of his 
" stretching forth his hands, and being girded, and carried whither he 
would not." That is, his arms would be extended on a cross, and he 
would be bound, to be led to a death of violence not agreeable to his 
feelings, and at which nature would revolt. For religion does not 
divest us of humanity ; and aversion to pain is not inconsistent with 
submission to the will of God : we may love the result of death, and 
shudder at the passage. Paul wished not to be unclothed, but clothed 
upon ; and Jesus himself, with strong cryings and tears, said, Father, 
if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Peter would, and would 
not ; there would be nature in him, as well as grace. And while the 
spirit would be willing, the flesh would be weak. "We see this related 
of some of the martyrs. Latimer, in one of his letters in prison, says 
to his friend, " Oh, pray for me. I sometimes shudder, and could creep 
into a mouse-hole ; and then the Lord visits me again with his comforts ; 
and thus, by his coming and going, shows me my infirmity." Ridley, 
at the stake, said to the smith that was driving in the staple, " Knock 
it in hard, my good fellow ; for the flesh may have its freaks." And 
when they were leading Rawlins along to the flames, chancing to see 
his wife and children among the crowd, he burst into a flood of tears ; 
and striking his breast, he exclaimed, " Ah, flesh, you would have your 
way ; but I tell thee, by the grace of God, thou shalt not gain the 
victory." 

Lastly, his death was to issue in the divine glory. Persecution has 
always been overruled to advance the cause it aimed to destroy. The 
wrath of man has praised God. The blood of the martyrs has been 
the seed of the churches. The death of such men has been honorable 
to the truth and grace of the gospel. It has awakened attention, and 
induced inquiry ; and by displaying the temper and supports of the suf- 
ferers, such impressions have been made upon the spectators that, before 
the ashes were extinguished, others were ready to be baptized for the 
dead. 

TVe are not martyrs, but we are often called to suffer ; and we may 
glorify God in the fires. There is only one way into the world, but 
there are many ways out. By which of these we are to pass we know 



AUGUST 3. 365 

not. But we may glorify God by the death we shall die, if we are 
enabled to exercise faith, patience, and repentance ; if the joy of the 
Lord is our strength, and we can, from experience, recommend his 
service. 

For this we should be concerned. But for this, we presume many 
would desire to die "softly, suddenly, and alone." Yet what they 
should choose, they wot not. They therefore leave all with their heav- 
enly Father, only praying that Christ may be magnified in their body, 
whether it be by life or by death. 



AUGUST 3. 



"And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Then Peter, turn- 
ing about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his 
breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him, 
saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do ? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he 
tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me." John 21 : 19-22. 

This is another part of the discourse " when they had dined." It 
is the reproof of Peter, who, though recovered from his fall, and recom- 
missioned to his office, was not faultless. Who can understand his 
errors ? 

The case was this. As soon as our Lord had tried Peters love and 
predicted his death, he said unto him, "Follow me." This is to be 
taken literally ; for though it might be intended as a symbol, yet he 
now arose from his seat, and walking away from the company, he told 
Peter to come after him ;. probably wishing to have some communication 
with him apart. Peter obeyed. But John seeing this, and fearing that 
our Lord was departing and would take Peter along with him, could 
not remain where he was ; and so he followed them, silent and anxious, 
and perhaps weeping. Peter, turning round, sees him, and asks, " Lord, 
and what shall this man do ?" It is probable this arose partly from an 
affectionate concern for his companion ; and considering the peculiar 
friendship there was between them, we might have considered the ques- 
tion as excusable, if not even laudable. 

But we are sure it was wrong in the motive. Peter, instead of 
being satisfied with a knowledge of his own duty and destiny, and 
praying to be able to perform the one and endure the other, wishes to 
pry into John's future circumstances, and to know what was to become 
of him ; whether he also should suffer, and what death he should die. 
This, in the view of Him who reproved not according to the hearing of 
the ear, involved in it an improper curiosity ; a principle, when in- 
dulged, always the most unprofitable in itself, and often the most rude 
in its exercise, and injurious in its effects. Our Lord always discour- 
aged it, and therefore he here rebukes Peter in these memorable words, 
" If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee ? follow thou 
me " — as I have commanded thee. How many things engage our time 
and attention which do not concern us. How often do we turn from 



366 MORNING EXERCISES. 

what is plain and important, and perplex or amuse ourselves with what 
is too distant for us to reach, too deep for us to fathom, too complicated 
for us to unravel, or too trifling to merit regard. When poring over 
the future state of the heathen, and the destiny of idiots, and the 
decrees of God, and the union of foreknowledge and free agency, and 
the fulfilment of prophecy, is not the Saviour asking, " What is that to 
thee ? follow thou me." " The secret things belong unto the Lord our 
God ; but those things which are revealed belong unto us, and to our 
children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." 

Our present knowledge is proportioned to our present state. More 
information upon certain subjects would now injure rather than im- 
prove, by multiplying our diversions, and drawing us more off from the 
one thing needful. We are now in a state of action and preparation. 
Let us leave the knowledge that is too wonderful for us. A day-laborer 
will gain more of it in a moment after he enters heaven, than any 
philosopher or divine can acquire by the toil of a whole life on earth. 
Let us wait the great teacher Dea'th, and God adore. Shall not the 
Judge of all the earth do right? 

But what have we to do ? Follow thou me. Lord, help me to fol- 
low thee as thy disciple and thy servant — immediately, without delay ; 
freely, without constraint ; fully, without reserve ; and constantly,, 
without change, or a shadow of turning. 



AUGUST 4. 



" Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not 
die ; yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die ; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, 
what is that to thee?" John 21 : 23. 

What did he mean by his coming to John ? It may be understood 
three ways. 

Of his coming to him by a natural death ; and he was the only apos- 
tle who did not suffer a violent end. 

Of his coming to destroy Jerusalem ; and he survived that event. 

Of his coming at the last day ; in which case he answers Peter by 
the supposition of a miracle. " What if I choose that he should con- 
tinue on earth till I come to judge the world ?" In this sense it was 
taken. 

But observe how it was misreported. Jesus only supposed a case, 
and it was turned into an assertion. He only said. What if I will that 
he tarry till I come ? and it was circulated that he should so tarry, and 
the saying went abroad among the brethren that he should not die. 
Who has not heard the absurd story of the wandering Jew? Whether 
any now believe such a delusion, we know not ; but we see what influ- 
ence the notion had in the early ages. Beza mentions an impostor in 
his time, at Paris, who gave out that he was the deathless John, and 
was burnt at Toulouse. 



AUGUST 5. 367 

But see how ready people are to credit things strange and wonder- 
ful. that they were equally ready to receive the witness of God. 

How many mistakes have arisen from deviating by little and little 
from the language of revelation. Many errors might be prevented, and 
many rectified, if we could bring the parties to the very words the Holy 
Ghost useth. Let us distinguish between divine truth, and men's expla- 
nation of it. Let us not take up with the statements of Calvin, or 
Arminius, or any other reporter, while we can go to the Scripture itself. 
1 To the law, and to the testimony : if they speak not according to this 
word, it is because there is no light in them." 

But let us make a moral use of this misrepresentation, and learn the 
importance of accuracy in our statements. It is owing to the neglect 
of this that there is so much circumstantial falsehood. We refer to the 
relations of facts, true in substance, but false in circumstances. Some 
seldom ever apprehend things distinctly ; and how can they report them 
accurately ? Some have memories that never retain perfectly what they 
hear. Some are careless. Some are full of eagerness and feeling, and 
love to excite ; and for this purpose they love to enlarge and enhance. 
From one cause or another, many who would shrink back from a direct 
lie, occasion deception by those omissions or additions which can give 
an erroneous turn or effect to the case spoken of. By this means, what 
aid is given to slander, and what injury is often done to character, 
where there is no risk on the one side and no redress on the other ! 

Look at the text, and see what consequences may result from the 
substitution of a shall for an ij\ and always make conscience of your 
speech. Distinguish things that differ. What you know as probable, state 
as probable ; and state as certain only what you know to be certain. 
As a good remedy for this, and every other evil of the tongue, let us be 
swift to hear, but slow to speak ; let us remember, that in the multitude 
of words there wanteth not sin ; let us believe, that by our words we 
are to be justified or condemned : let us keep our hearts with all dili- 
gence, for out of them are the issues of life ; let us pray, Set a watch, 
Lord, before my mouth j keep the door of my lips. 



AUGUST 5. 

* Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe." Joel 3 : 13. 

The season renders the language interesting ; and we may consider 
the words literally as an address to husbandmen. 

" The husbandman waiteth for the precious fruits of the earth, and 
hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and the latter rain." 
He casts the seed into the ground, where it seems lost. For a while he 
sees nothing to reward his labor and expense ; for that which he soweth 
is not quickened except it die. But it soon revives and rises, and he 
perceives the blade gently breaking through the earth. Then comes 
winter. The wind howls over it ; the frost bends and binds it ; the 
snow covers and oppresses it. But it weathers all. The spring arrives. 



368 MOKNING EXERCISES. 

The stalk shoots up ; the ear appears, and the full corn in the ear ; the 
crop ripens, and the golden harvest waves its treasures, and calls for 
the reaper to fill his hand, and he that bindeth sheaves his bosom. The 
husbandman may think little or nothing of God, unless he wants fine 
weather ; but it is He that worketh all in all. Whatever interventions 
there may be, He is the first cause : " I will hear, saith the Lord, I will 
hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth ; and the earth shall 
hear the corn, and the wine, and the oil ; and they shall hear Jezreel." 

And herein we see the power of God. The spectators wondered 
when five loaves were multiplied into a sufficiency for more than five 
thousand consumers. Why are not we struck, when we see the grain 
in the earth annually increasing thirty, sixty, a hundred fold ? It is the 
commonness of the effect that prevents astonishment. The only differ- 
ence in the cases is, that in the one instance the operation is sudden ; 
in the other, it is slow ; but this magnifies the agency, instead of de- 
tracting from it. 

And here we see the truth of God. When Noah and his family left 
the ark, and saw the new world, every appearance of cloud awakened 
their fears ; and God, to tranquillize them, said, " I will not again smite 
any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, 
seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and 
day and night, shall not cease." And every time the sickle is put in, 
he tells us that he is a faithful God, and that we may always rely upon 
his word. 

Here we behold his goodness. For whom does he thus constantly 
and plenteously provide, but an unworthy, guilty, ungrateful world, 
who will overlook his kindness, and abuse his benefits, and turn his 
gifts into weapons of rebellion against him! Were he to deal with 
them after their desert, or reward them according to their iniquities, 
the heavens over us would be brass, and the earth iron; the grain 
would perish in wetness, or be burnt up with drought, and we should 
have cleanness of teeth in all our dwellings, and while the children 
cried for bread, the mother would have none to give them. 

Here we also trace the wisdom of God. For though all things are 
of God, he does not encourage sloth. Our activity is as necessary as 
our dependence. Though there is a part we cannot do, there is a part 
we can do ; and if this be neglected, God will do nothing. We cannot 
furnish the soil ; but we must manure it. We cannot produce the seed ; 
but we must sow it. We cannot ripen the field ; but we must reap it. 
" What thou givest them, that they gather." 

Let us be thankful that another of these pleasing and instructive 
periods has arrived. And while we see the valleys standing thick with 
corn, and hear the little hills rejoicing on every side, let us pray for the 
appointed weeks of harvest. 

And remembering another and an infinitely more important oppor- 
tunity, may we give all diligence, while it continues, to secure its bless- 
ings ; lest, in the anguish of disappointment and the remorse of despair, 



AUGUST 6. 369 

we are forced to exclaim, " The harvest is past, the summer is ended, 
and we are not saved." "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, 
now is the day of salvation." Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is 
ripe. 

AUGUST 6. 

"Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe." Joel 3 : 13. 

We have taken these words literally ; let us now view them meta- 
phorically. We have heard them addressed to the husbandman. Let 
us now consider them as addressed, 

First, to the ministers of the word. That we are allowed such an 
application is obvious. Our Lord said, " The harvest truly is plenteous, 
but the laborers are few ; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest 
that he would send forth laborers into his harvest." By harvest, he 
intends means of usefulness and opportunities ; by laborers, those 
whose office it is to endeavor to make use of them. So again, "Say 
not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, 
I. say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields ; for they are 
white already to harvest." Here he refers to the season of doing good 
to the Samaritans, which he was now improving ; for, in consequence 
of the testimony of the woman, many of them were eager to hear, and 
were coming over the plain. The case is, when the grain is ripe, if it 
be not gathered in, it is liable to perish. The season for saving it is 
short and uncertain. Men therefore forego ease and endure fatigue to 
secure it. Yet what is the safety of the grain, to the salvation of souls ? 
How many are destroyed for lack of knowledge ! But the period is 
favorable for informing them. We have religious freedom ; our exer- 
tions are unimpeded. None makes us afraid. We have the Scriptures 
in full circulation. The rising generation are taught to read. Relig- 
ious parties excite and emulate each other. Prejudices are wearing 
away. Persons are willing to hear. And not preachers only, but par- 
ents, masters, neighbors. Christians at large — all, in doing good, have 
the finest opportunities, if they will seize them, and the loudest calls, if 
they will obey them. But the space for all this will not, cannot continue. 
Therefore, " whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might ; for 
there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, 
whither thou goest." 

Secondly, as addressed to public judgments. Thus we are principally 
to understand the passage before us. The people spoken of were ripe 
for ruin. God therefore calls for the executioners of his wrath to cut 
them down. Thus it was with the people of Canaan, when their iniquity 
was full, and Joshua and his army were the reapers. Thus it was with 
the Jews themselves ; and Nebuchadnezzar was called in to punish them, 
and afterwards the Romans to destroy them. Thus it has been with 
many nations since. And thus it has been with many a community even 
in our own times. The work was soon done, for the reapers were the 

Morn. Exer. 24 



370 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Lord's, and the fields were fully ripe. Are we in danger? We have 
reason for apprehension, if we estimate our condition by our guilt, and 
our guilt by our privileges. Let us not be highminded, but fear. God 
can never be at a loss for instruments. He can mingle a perverse 
spirit in the midst of us. He can take wisdom from the prudent, and 
courage from the brave. Hearts, events, elements, are all his. He 
has a controversy with us, and by menacing dispensations seems to say 
aloud, Cut it down ; why cumbereth it the ground? But these threat- 
enings are mercifully conditional. "At what instant I shall speak con- 
cerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and pull down, 
and to destroy it ; if that nation against whom I have pronounced turn 
from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto 
them." May we hear and fear, and turn unto the Lord, and he will 
leave a blessing behind him, that we perish not. 

Thirdly, as addressed to the messengers of death, accidents, diseases, 
whatever can bring us to the grave. This regards us individually. 
Whatever be the destiny of the nations, we know our own destiny ; old 
or young, rich or poor, it is appointed unto us once to die. This is the 
way of all the earth. But when are people ripe for this removal hence ? 

It is certain that sin ripens the transgressor for hell. But when he is 
ripe, it is not easy to decide. The most grossly and openly vicious are 
not always the most guilty before God. We see a profligate wretch, and 
deem him ripe for ruin, and wonder he is not cut down, when perhaps, 
though not immoral, we ourselves are much more criminal in the sight 
of Him who judgeth righteously. He perhaps never had our advan- 
tages, and was pressed by severer temptations than we ever knew. If 
asked, therefore, when a man is ripe for destruction, we acknowledge 
we cannot determine. But it must be wise to beware, and to keep from 
every approximation to such a dreadful state. Surely when a man is 
insensible under the word, and incorrigible under the rebukes of Prov- 
idence, and his conscience ceases to reprove, and he can turn divine 
things into ridicule, he must be, as the apostle says, "nigh unto cursing." 

Holiness ripens the saint for glory. But here, again, when he is 
matured and made meet for it we cannot ascertain. Actions strike us ; 
but some have few opportunities for exertions, and yet they have much 
of the life of God in their souls. We should think favorably of a man 
in proportion as he was dissatisfied with himself, and esteemed the Lord 
Jesus, and relied upon him, and was anxious to resemble him, and ac- 
knowledged God in all his ways. However, the Lord knoweth them 
that are his, and them that are not his ; and he chooses the most proper 
time to remove them — the wheat for the barn, and the chaff for the 
burning. But the end of all things is at hand. And, 

Fourthly, God thus addresses his angels at the last day. When this 
mandate will be given is uncertain. But we are as sure of the event as 
we are ignorant of the period. And then shall the Son of man come in 
the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Then cometh the 
end. Then all will be ripe. His purposes will be accomplished. His 



AUGUST 7. 371 

promises and threatenings will be verified. Time itself will be no 
longer. The earth will be cleared of all the produce, and the very 
fields in which it grew will be destroyed. " The field is the world ; 
the good seed are the children of the kingdom ; but the tares are the 
children of the wicked one ; the enemy that sowed them is the devil ; 
the harvest is the end of the world ; and the reapers are the angels. 
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it 
be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, 
and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and 
them which do iniquity j and shall cast them into a furnace of fire : 
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous 
shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. "Who hath ears 
to hear, let him hear." 

Let him hear this. How many things are continually said ! And 
how are we to judge of them? One says, this is excellent ; another, 
this is all-important. But if you would know what is the real value of 
these things, bring them to the standard, bring them to the great day / 
How do they abide this trial? 

" Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent, 
that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless." If 
you say, " All this is far off, and many things must be previously accom- 
plished," remember, you cannot say this of death. There is but a step 
between you and death. How soon, therefore, may all the prophecies 
be fulfilled, and the world be at end, with you ! And as death leaves 
you, judgment will find you. Many who once had the warnings, are 
now in possession of the facts. Could we ask them — now they have 
entered the eternal world by death, and are waiting for the judgment 
to come— is there one of them that would not bear his testimony to the 
importance of every Sabbath and every sermon with which you are 
favored? Is there one of them that would say, "While I was living, 
the preacher was too close, and too alarming ?" Rather, would he not 
say, "Why was he not more in earnest? And 0, wretch that I was, 
to disregard his voice, and come into this place of torment!" 



AUGUST 7. 

"For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." 1 Cor. 4 : 20. 

Let us not abuse, but improve the important decision. It may be 
abused in two instances. 

First, when it leads us to undervalue the outward institutions of 
piety and the ordinary means of grace. Some would so refine religion 
as to make it unsuited to human beings. We have bodies as well as 
souls, and we are required to glorify God in the one as well as in the 
other. Our devotion is indeed nothing unless we " lift up our hearts 
with our hands ;" but bodily exercise need not be excluded in order to 
our worshipping in spirit and in truth. There may be the form of god- 
liness without the power ; but while we are here, the power cannot be 



372 MORNING EXERCISES. 

displayed or maintained without the form. Enthusiasts may tell us 
they never had so much religion as since they have given up what are 
called its ordinances, for now every day is a Sabbath, and every place 
a temple, and every voice a preacher. But they are not to be believed. 
Even all the private and practical duties of life are most fully and reg- 
ularly discharged by those who wait upon God in his appointments. It 
is a dangerous delusion that leads people to the neglect of those means 
of grace which God, who knoweth our frame, has enjoined us to use, 
and to the use of which he has promised his blessing. In the new Jeru- 
salem John saw " no temple there ;" but the experience of every Chris- 
tian leads him, while he is here, to love the habitation of God's house, 
and to acknowledge that it is good for him to be there. The streams 
that will be needless when we reach the fountain-head, are valuable in 
the way. Our present aliments will be unnecessary hereafter ; but what 
pretender would be so ethereal as to dispense with them now? 

Secondly, when we are heedless of regulating the energy of our 
religion by the rule of the word. It is desirable to enlist the feelings 
on the side of truth and excellence. Impulse is useful and even neces- 
sary to exertion and success ; but in proportion to its force, it requires 
guidance, if not restraint. It is good to be always zealously affected in 
a good thing ; but, without knowledge, zeal may even in a good cause 
carry us astray ; so that our good may be evil spoken of, and even pro- 
duce evil. Something must be allowed for persons wanting in judg- 
ment, and for young converts, especially if they have been suddenly 
awakened. The novelty and the vividness of their views and impres- 
sions of eternal things may occasion some mistakes and improprieties 
in harmonizing religion properly with secular and relative life. But 
what we excuse we are not to commend. If one duty defrauds or kills 
another, it is a robber or a murderer. The wise man tells us, every 
thing is beautiful in its season ; and Paul enjoins us to do every thing 
decently and in order. But under the sanction of such a supposed 
authority as our text, we have known religious servants who have risen 
above their masters, and lectured and reproved them ; we have known 
men who have left their callings, and rushed into offices for which they 
were not designed; we have known females who, instead of being 
keepers at home, have neglected their husbands and children to gad 
about after favorite preachers ; we have known orthodox professors 
who have broken out into every kind of rudeness and rancor, under a 
notion of being faithful, and valiant for the truth. Disputants have 
contended earnestly for the faith with pens dipped in gall, and tongues 
set on fire of hell ; persecutors have killed others to do God service ; 
and the priest with the crucifix has urged the dragoon not to do the 
work of the Lord deceitfully, or keep back his sword from shedding of 
blood. 

The decision may be improved by applying it in two cases. First, 
in judging ourselves. And here the leaning should be to the side of 
severity. Let us be satisfied with nothing short of the real power of 



AUGUST T. 373 

religion. Whatever we depend upon while we are strangers to this, 
will be more than useless ; it will issue in the most dreadful disappoint- 
ment. It is better to err on the side of caution than of self-security. 
According to our Saviour, the delusion accompanies some to the very 
door of heaven ; they knock with confidence that they shall be admit- 
ted, and are surprised and confounded when they hear from within, I 
know ye not whence ye are. Do not place your religion in attending 
on divine ordinances, or in a mere belief of the truth, or in some out- 
ward reformation, or in some particular course of duty to which you may 
have inducements that render it easy. Search and try your ways. See 
whether you have given God your whole heart, and can sacrifice every 
bosom-lust. See whether your religion has any thing in it above the 
efficiency of natural principles — whether it is flesh, or spirit ; whether 
you are under the law, or under grace. Examine yourselves. If be- 
lievers, does your faith work by love? And do you love in word and 
in tongue, or in deed and in truth ? If penitents, have you said, with 
Ephraim, What have I any more to do with idols ? If worshippers, 
do you only draw nigh to him with the mouth, and honor him with your 
lips, while your heart is far from him ? If hearers, has the gospel come 
to you, not in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in 
much assurance? 

Secondly, in judging others. And here the leaning should be to 
candor. We should beware how we deny this power to a fellow-pro- 
fessor, without just evidence. It is always a difficult thing to decide 
the degree of another man's religion. Men differ exceedingly, even in 
their natural temperament. How sanguine is one ; how phlegmatical is 
another. Some are constitutionally bold and forward ; others are 
equally timid and retreating. Is it to be supposed that all these will 
show their piety precisely in the same manner ? We often ascribe to a 
religious ardor what is the effect of a liveliness and volubility of tem- 
per. Hence when we meet with an individual who is always speaking 
on religious topics, we are apt to consider him a zealous soul, and to 
suppose that all his talkativeness proceeds from pious principle ; 
whereas it is more than probable, if we followed him through life, we 
should find him as eager on secular occasions as on religious. On the 
other hand, when we meet with a man who shrinks from notice, and is 
backward to speak of divine things, and especially of his own experi- 
ence, we frequently set him down as one who is not fervent in spirit, 
serving the Lord. But may not this man be very much the same in all 
other cases? And if so, should we not do him injustice by judging of 
his state in religion by the slowness of his speech, and the hesitation of 
his temper, and the tardiness of his conduct, which constitute a caret in 
his whole life? Judge not after the outward appearance, but judge 
righteous judgment. 

Again, if you have reason to conclude that a fellow- Christian has 
this divine reality, let it satisfy you. Love and esteem him, though he 
differs from your opinions, and walks not with you in the outward order 



374 MORNING EXERCISES. 

of the gospel. What is the chaff to the wheat? I love those scriptures 
which inspire us with a zeal, not to make proselytes to a party, but con- 
verts to the Saviour ; which tend to unite the truly pious to each other, 
and embattle them against the common foe ; which diminish those infe- 
rior things that bigots are always magnifying, and attach supreme im- 
portance to those that infinitely deserve it. "For the kingdom of God 
is not in word, but in power." " For the kingdom of God is not meat 
and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." 
"For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncir- 
cumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this 
rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." 



AUGUST 8. 

" Lord, teach us to pray." Luke 11 : 1. 

This was the language of one of his disciples, as soon as he had 
heard him pray "in a certain place." He did not interrupt our Lord in 
the exercise ; but when he had ceased, he said, wishing to resemble him, 
" Lord, teach us to pray." 

It was well in him, not only to attach importance to prayer, and to 
feel his own ignorance and insufficiency in the performance, but to ad- 
dress one who is always able and willing to hear and help us. None 
teaches like him. Four ways he teaches to pray. 

First, by his word. A form or model — why not both? — was imme' 
diately given these disciples. " He said unto them, When ye pray, say, 
Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom 
come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by 
day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins ; for we also forgive 
every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation ; but 
deliver us from evil." The Scripture at large has many instructions 
how we are to pray. In one place we are told to pray without ceasing. 
In another, to come boldly to the throne of grace. In another, to let 
our words be few. In another, to ask in faith, nothing wavering. In 
another, to ask in the name of Jesus. " If ye shall ask any thing in my 
name, I will do it." 

Secondly, by his example. Whoever lives without prayer, He did 
not. His example has the force of a law; and he "that saith he 
abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk even as he walked." As 
to place, he prayed in the wilderness, and he prayed in the garden. As 
to time, we read of his rising up early in the morning to pray ; and 
praying in the evening ; and continuing all night in prayer. As to 
observation, he prayed privately, alone, and with his disciples, and in 
public. As to cases, he prayed when he was baptized ; and has taught 
us to sanctify all ordinances and duties by prayer. When going to 
send forth his apostles, he prayed, to teach us to engage in no enter- 
prise relying on our own wisdom and strength. When he was trans- 



AUGUST 8. 375 

figured, he prayed, to teach us how to escape the snares of glory and 
greatness. With strong crying and tears, he made supplication when 
he was sore amazed and very heavy, to teach us, if afflicted, to pray. 
To teach us to love our enemies, when they pierced his hands and his 
feet, he prayed, " Father, forgive them, for they know not what they 
do." And to teach us how to finish our course, he dies praying, " Into 
thy hands I commend my spirit." 

Thirdly, by his providence. Ah, Christians, this may explain many 
a dispensation that has made you tremble and grieve. " I will go and 
return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my 
face ; in their affliction they will seek me early ;" that is, I will teach 
them to pray. What did Absalom when he wished for an interview 
with Joab, who, when sent for, refused to obey ? Go, said he to his 
servant, and set his corn on fire, and then he will soon come. And so 
it fell out. And speedily and eagerly approaching him, Why hast thou 
done this? says Joab. Absalom replies, Not because I designed to 
injure thee, but I wanted to converse with thee, and my messengers 
were rejected. So when you are lifeless in prayer, and backward in 
the exercise, and disregard the invitation, "Seek ye my face," some 
fiery trial consumes or threatens some of your possessions or comforts ; 
and alarmed and perplexed, then you anxiously say unto God, " Do not 
condemn me ; show me wherefore thou contendest with me." You then 
also want succor and consolation, and therefore pray, " Let thy loving- 
kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant." 
How many of the prayers of God's people in the Scripture were, both 
in their reality and excellency too, the offspring of those measures by 
which the Lord, in chastening, taught them. 

Fourthly, by his Spirit. What means "praying in the Holy Ghost," 
but praying by his influence ? Why is he called "the Spirit of grace and 
of supplications ?" Is it not because he brings us upon our knees, and 
keeps us instant in prayer ? If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, 
he is none of his : and this Spirit awakens the conscience, and makes us 
sensible of our needy and perishing condition ; and shows us the im- 
portance and glory of divine blessings, and causes us to hunger and 
thirst after righteousness, and leads us into all the truth connected with 
our relief; and through the blood of the cross, inspiring hope and con- 
fidence, enables us to cry, Abba, Father. 

Nor is it only in the beginning of a devotional life that this assist- 
ance is required. " Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities," 
says the apostle : " for we know not what we should pray for as we 
ought, but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings 
which cannot be uttered." And where is the Christian who would not 
often have given over the exercise, under a sense of his imperfections 
and weaknesses, but for the hope of the supply of the Spirit of Jesus 
Christ ; and the promise, " If ye then, being evil, know how to give 
good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Fa- 
ther give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" This has revived 



376 MORNING EXERCISES. 

him again, and out of weakness he has been made strong, and delighted 
himself in the Almighty. 

Happy they who, by the great Teacher, are thus taught to pray. 
You may be ignorant of many things, but you know your way to the 
throne of grace* You may have little learning, but you can speak the 
language of Canaan. You may be unnoticed of your fellow-creatures, 
but your fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 
And a life of prayer will soon be followed by an eternity of praise. 

But how awful the condition of those who never express this de- 
sire, Lord, teach us to pray! Can the love or the fear of the Lord 
dwell in you? Can you dispense with the blessings of salvation? Or 
do you think that God, who has said, "For all these things will I be 
inquired of," will deny himself? Well, another instructor will soon 
teach you to pray — a dying hour — a judgment-day. But you will pray 
in vain. " Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer ; they 
shall seek me early, but they shall not find me." 



AUGUST 9. 

11 Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness." Jer. 13 :16. 

The removal of the gospel is darkness. The gospel will never be 
removed from the world, but it may be withdrawn from a particular place 
or people. And this has been done. The Jews are an eminent example. 
The kingdom of God was taken from them. And when we consider 
the miracles, the institutions, the privileges by which they were distin- 
guished, and see how they were all laid waste, well may the apostle say, 
Behold the severity of God ; and if he spared not the natural branches, 
take' 'heed lest he also spare not thee. Where now are the seven 
churches in Asia ? Where is the famous church of Rome, whose faith 
was spoken of throughout the whole world ? At present, you have the 
inestimable benefit. Be not as the swine, who knows not the value of 
the pearl, and therefore tramples it under foot. What wonder if the 
manna should be taken away, when you despise it as light food? The 
Scriptures may be continued, and the preaching of the gospel be 
removed ; and thus the word may be precious, because there is no open 
vision. What a blessing to see our teachers, and to hear a word behind 
us saying, This is the way, walk ye in it. Faith cometh by hearing. 
And what if the Lord should send a famine in the land — not a famine of 
bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord — and 
we shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find 
it? Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness. 

Impenitence is darkness. A man may be surrounded with food, yet 
he dies, if he cannot use and digest it, as much as if the aliment was 
wanting. The means of grace may remain, and we become incapable 
of deriving benefit from them. It is an awful fact, that God punishes 
one sin by another, and judicially blinds those who provoke him. Be- 
cause they like not to retain him in their knowledge, he gives them up 



AUGUST 9. 377 

to a reprobate mind. Because they receive not the love of the truth, 
that they may be saved, he sends them strong delusion to believe a lie. 
They are joined to idols, and he lets them alone. They delight in 
error, and they find it. They seek objections to the faith once delivered, 
to the saints, and they are overcome by them. They trifle with the 
gospel, and at length they cannot seriously regard it, or feel any im- 
pression under it. Thus is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, 
By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand ; and seeing ye 
shall see, and shall not perceive. Give glory to the Lord your God, 
before he cause darkness. 

Public calamity is darkness. Was not the Babylonish bondage 
darkness to the Jews, when their country, the glory of all lands, was 
desolated, and they carried away captives, and oppressed as slaves, 
and insulted as a proverb and a by-word? And would not national 
distress be darkness to us? Some effects of this we have experienced ; 
but how inconsiderable have they yet been, compared with the suffer- 
ings of other countries, or with our own deserts. And is there no 
danger of greater ? If God has a controversy with us, it is in vain to 
argue — we must submit. If he is provoked and determined to punish, 
vain is the authority of rulers, the wisdom of statesmen, the courage of 
warriors. " But he has a people among us." He has, and he will take 
care of his own j but he can secure them, and destroy others. Or even 
they themselves may help forward, or even occasion the calamity, for 
no sins offend him like those of his own people. And they may be 
chastened of the Lord, that they may not be condemned with the world. 
"When the ship sailed from Joppa, there was only one good man on 
board ; and the storm was for his sake, and the sea could only be calmed 
by his being cast into it. Give glory to the Lord your God, before he 
cause darkness. 

The loss of reason is darkness. And how soon may the understand- 
ing be eclipsed ! How easily may the slender and mysterious basis on 
which intellect rests be destroyed ! See Nebuchadnezzar eating grass 
like an ox. See the philosopher, moping in drivelling idiotcy. Relig- 
ion can only operate through the medium of thought ; and therefore, 
while you have your mental powers, employ them, lest darkness come 
upon you. 

The loss of health is darkness. Is it nothing to be made to possess 
months of vanity, or to have wearisome nights appointed us? To be 
chastened also with pain upon our bed, and the multitude of our bones 
with strong pain ; so that our life abhorreth bread, and our soul dainty 
meat ; and our bones, that were not seen, stick out ? Yet, on this sea- 
son many suspend an attention to the concerns of religion. When 
thought is broken to pieces, and every avenue to the soul is occupied 
with the anguish of disease and the anxieties of recovery, surely suffi- 
cient for that day is the evil thereof. Use your health while you have 
it, lest darkness come upon you. The same applies to age. Then 
desire fails ; the grasshopper is a burden : sight and hearing and 



378 MORNING EXERCISES. 

memory and judgment decline. " Remember," therefore says Solomon, 
"now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come 
not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in 
them." 

Death is darkness. Then you must give up your employments, how- 
ever interesting ; your possessions, however valued ; your connections, 
however endeared ; your religious advantages, however important ; and 
stripped and silent, retire into the gloom of the grave. This darkness 
is certain. It cannot be remote. It may be close at hand. There may 
be but a step between me and death — "before I go whence I shall 
not return, even to the land of darkness, and the shadow of death ; a 
land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, 
without any order, and where the light is as darkness." 

Hell is darkness — outer darkness; where there is weeping and 
wailing and gnashing of teeth. The dreadfulness of this state it is 
impossible either to describe or imagine. But we know that it is possi- 
ble to escape it. We also know, that the present is the only opportu- 
nity. Behold, now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation. 
Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness. 

Blessed be God for his long-suffering goodness, and his warning 
mercy. He might justly have spared his words, and come instantly to 
blows. But he speaks before he strikes, and he threatens that he may 
not destroy. May the kind alarm awaken our fear, and may our fear 
produce flight ; and may we flee for refuge to the hope set before us, 
even Jesus, who delivers from the wrath to come. 



AUGUST 10. 



"He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3 : 30. 

This was spoken of the Redeemer by his forerunner John. And it 
is not to be considered as the language of complaint or sullen acquies- 
cence, as if he would say, " I dislike it ; but it is unavoidable. It is 
my grief ; and I must bear it." No. It was as agreeable to his feel- 
ings as it was firm in his belief. And it showed a fine and a noble soul 
in John. The spirit that is in us lusteth to envy. We love something 
distinguishing, and therefore exclusive. We wish to rise, even by the 
depression of others. It is trying, even to a good man, to withdraw, 
and see a successor filling his place better than himself, and, as the hon- 
ors he has worn are transferred to another, to say, " He must increase, 
but I must decrease." It is not an easy thing to go down well, or for 
a setting star to exult in a rising sun. 

But it was thus with John. He knew his rank, and approved of 
his place. He was the servant, not the master ; the friend, not the 
bridegroom. The church was not married to him. " He that hath the 
bride is the bridegroom : but the friend of the bridegroom, which 
standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's 



AUGUST 10. 379 

voice : this raj joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must 
decrease." 

What does he mean by this increase ? Not an increase in his tem- 
poral condition. As he had been poor, so he was to continue. Many 
of his professed followers seek great things to themselves ; but we may 
judge of his estimation of them by his choice, for they were all within 
his reach. But though he had a kingdom, it was not of this world. 
Nor is it by any kind of earthly condition and indulgence that he has 
characterized Christians, or raised their hope. He has nowhere en- 
gaged to make them rich in this world's goods, but only rich in faith. 
He has nowhere told them that they shall be free from trouble, but only 
that in him they shall have peace. 

The increase partly regards his personal ministry. Both John and 
Jesus were preachers and leaders. John's "course" was ending; but 
Jesus was only commencing his public work. John was going to lose 
his disciples, and Jesus to gain them, and to become a much more fa- 
mous minister, by miracles, and clearness and grandeur of doctrine, and 
the permanency of his success. Indeed, we have no reason to .believe 
that John ever preached after this. The end of his mission was an- 
swered. He was a voice ; and having made his proclamation, he was 
silenced. He was the morning star ; and having ushered the Sun of 
righteousness in, he disappeared. He was the forerunner to introduce 
the Messiah : but the Messiah was now come, and verified and acknow- 
ledged. 

But it was the same as saying, Christianity must increase. Chris- 
tianity was small at first ; but it was to resemble the shining light, 
which begins with the dawn, but becomes perfect day. Or to be like 
the mustard-seed, which, however diminutive, grows the greatest among 
herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge 
in the branches thereof ; or the portion of leaven, which, hid in the 
meal, continues to diffuse itself till the whole be leavened. His doc- 
trine was possessed only by himself for a time. He then communicated 
the secret to twelve ; then to seventy. His followers after this were 
not numerous, and they consisted chiefly of the common people, for it 
was scornfully asked, " Have any of the rulers believed on him ?" After 
various trials, the number of disciples in Jerusalem, previously to the 
descent of the Spirit, was about one hundred and twenty. Then three 
thousand were added in one day ; and the Lord added to the church 
daily such as should be saved. Thus mightily grew the word of God, 
and prevailed. It soon spread beyond the bounds of Judea, and reached 
the ends of the Roman world, the heralds thanking God, who always 
caused them to triumph in Christ, and made manifest the savor of his 
knowledge by them in every place. How much has his cause done 
since ; and how is it expanding now ! But a vaster increase is yet to 
take place. His glory shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it to- 
gether. For now shall he be great to the ends of the earth. Such is 
the language of the Scripture, and nothing has yet taken place sufficient 



380 MORNING EXERCISES. 

to fulfil it. It is therefore before us. We know that heathenism and 
Mabommedanism and " the man of sin " shall be destroyed. And we 
know the Jews shall look on Him whom they have pierced ; and if the 
casting them away was the reconciling of the world, what shall the 
receiving of them be, but life from the dead ? 

And there is no uncertainty here ; it must be. The mouth of the 
Lord hath spoken it. His death insures it. He has power over all 
flesh to accomplish it. Let those who love him, and are laboring to 
advance his cause, rejoice, and be encouraged — they cannot fail. "His 
name shall endure for ever : his name shall be continued as long as the 
sun : and men shall be blessed in him ; all nations shall call him blessed. 
And blessed be his glorious name for ever : and let the whole earth be 
filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen," 



AUGUST 11. 

" Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but 
now much more in my absence." Phil. 2 : 12. 

" That which is unsavory cannot be eaten without salt." And there- 
fore, to render it palatable, we season it. "When we are going to re- 
prove a fault or enforce a duty, we should as much as possible commend, 
for praise opens the mind, and prepares for the reception of rebuke or 
admonition. This wisdom the apostle here displays. There was noth- 
ing in him like flattery ; but to introduce his most solemn charge, that 
they would work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, he 
applauds these Philippians for four things : 

First, their obedience. Belief, knowledge, profession, talk — every 
thing is vain without this. The gospel was made known for the obedi- 
ence of faith. And these Philippians had " obeyed." 

Secondly, the constancy of their practice. Lot's wife, at the angel's 
command, left Sodom, but " she looked back." The Galatians " did run 
well, but were hindered ;" " they began in the Spirit, and ended in the 
flesh." The goodness of Ephraim and Judah was like a morning cloud, 
and as the early dew, that passeth away. But these Philippians had 
"always" obeyed. 

Thirdly, the increase of their diligence and zeal. They had " much 
more" obeyed. They not only held on their way, but waxed stronger 
and stronger ; not only continued, but always abounded in the work of 
the Lord. Nothing is more desirable or pleasing than to see this pro- 
gression. It is like the shining light, that shineth more and more unto 
the perfect day. It is like the springing of the earth : first the blade, 
then the ear, and after that the full corn in the ear. 

Fourthly, the progress of their improvement under disadvantages. 
They had much more obeyed "in his absence" than in his presence. 
When he was no longer with them as a witness to observe, as an exam- 
ple to excite, as a preacher to warn and to animate them. Some attend 
the word and worship of God from the influence of a friend, or the au- 



AUGUST 12. 381 

thority of a father or a master. Jelioash followed the Lord all the 
days of Jehoiada the high-priest, who brought him up ; but as soon as 
this eminent servant of God was dead, the young prince became an idol- 
ater, and even slew the prophet of the Lord. There are many who 
regard the eye of man more than the eye of God. It is well when our 
devotion springs from inward principle, and does not depend upon out- 
ward excitement ; when we not only forsake, but abhor that which is 
evil, and not only follow, but cleave to that which is good. There is 
scarcely an individual, perhaps, that does not sometimes pray. But 
does he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon 
God? There are few but are afflicted or alarmed into occasional piety. 
But are we the same in health as in sickness ; in the house as in the 
temple ; on the week as on the Sabbath ? 

What an immense loss must the Philippians have sustained in PauPs 
absence from them ; yet they obeyed much more in his absence than 
in his presence. Surely this shows that, when he left them, God did 
not leave them. It teaches us that God does not depend upon instru- 
ments, though he is pleased to make use of them. It proves that, by his 
own Spirit, he can make up for the want of any creature advantage. 
When by persecution the church has been deprived of her pastors, or by 
accident or disease Christians have been destitute of the public ordi- 
nances of religion, they have seen his power and his glory as they have 
seen him in the sanctuary. The streams were gone, but the Fountain 
was near. And where the providence of God has denied the usual 
means of grace, we have known the sufferers to prosper in the divine 
lifo even more than those who have enjoyed an affluence of privileges. 



AUGUST 12. 



"Sing unto the Lord, ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his 
holiness." Psa. 30 : 4. 

It would be perfectly useless to call upon others to do this in their 
present state. 

" None but the soul that feels his grace, 
Can triumph in his holiness." 

Since the fall, this attribute, which renders God so amiable in himself, 
and which draws forth the highest praises of heaven, makes him un- 
lovely to an apostate creature. There is nothing the sinner thinks of 
with so much dislike as a perfection that justifies all his fears, and 
opposes all his inclinations and pursuits. What an enemy the world 
naturally is to the holiness of God, may be seen in the practice of the 
heathens. Among all the heroes they deified, they advanced none for 
those qualities which approached the most nearly to it, but frequently 
for passions the most remote from it, and at best only for some physical 
power, valued or useful in the concerns of this life. Esculapius was 
deified for his skill in curing diseases ; Bacchus for the use of the 






382 MORNING EXERCISES. 

grape ; Vulcan for his operations in fire ; Hercules for his destroying 
monsters. But not one of them all was advanced to this honor for the 
virtue of holiness, as if this property was beneath their notice in the 
formation of a deity, or they loved a god better that had nothing to do 
with it. 

It was upon this principle that they who are now saints " would " 
once themselves have " none of him," and really said unto God, " De- 
part from us ; we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." Hence, if 
they loved the Sabbath, it was as a day of leisure and recreation, not as 
" the holy of the Lord." Hence they disliked his people, as renewed, 
because they were images of this pure original. 

What a blessed evidence is it in their favor, that they can now 
"glory in his holy name," and "sing and give thanks at the remem- 
brance of his holiness !" But such is the change they have experienced, 
that they do contemplate him with pleasure as holy in all his ways, and 
righteous in all his works. It is a relief, a satisfaction to their minds, 
in every perplexity in nature or providence, that the Judge of all the 
earth must do right. They delight in the law of G-od, which is holy, 
just, and good, after the inward man. The gospel appears to their 
minds glorious, "because therein is the righteousness of God revealed 
from faith to faith ; that he might be just, and the justifier of him which 
believeth in Jesus." This attribute now smiles upon them. They have 
a vast interest in it. As he is holy, they can depend upon his truth, 
and are assured of the fulfilment of his word. They know that He who 
has said, I will abundantly pardon, I will never leave thee nor forsake 
thee, is a God that cannot lie. Yes, says the Christian, since he who 
loves me is purity itself, and his influence is almighty, he will sprinkle 
clean water upon me, and I shall be clean. He will destroy in me the 
sin which he infinitely hates. He will make me a partaker of his holi- 
ness, and render me meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. 

But without this love to holiness we cannot see the kingdom of God. 
We are, both by Scripture and by the nature of the case, excluded for 
ever from his presence, which could only make us miserable. What 
fellowship hath light with darkness ? What communion hath righteous- 
ness with unrighteousness ? 

Some talk of the less amiable views of the Supreme Being, yea, of 
the darker side of the Deity. And what side is this ? The Scripture 
tells me — and I believe it, I feel it — that " God is light, and in him is 
no darkness at all." 

Therefore thus saith the Lord, " Let not the wise man glory in his 
wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich 
man glory in his riches ; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he 
understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lov- 
ing-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth ; for in these 
things I delight, saith the Lord." 



AUGUST 13. 383 

AUGUST 13. 

" And David said, Is there yet any that, is left of the house of Saul, that I may show 
him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" 2 Sam. 9 : 1. 

Let me not pass this without remark. 

See the low estate of SauVs house. He had a very numerous family, 
sufficient to have replenished a country, and yet it was now so reduced, 
dispersed, concealed, or unknown, that it was necessary to inquire 
whether any remains of it were left. So God setteth the solitary in 
families. Some houses, distinguished by their wealth and nobility, fall 
into indigence and obscurity ; while others are completely terminated, 
their last branch haying withered in the dust. " Their inward thought 
is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling-places 
to all generations ; they call their lands after their own names. Nev- 
ertheless man being in honor abideth not : he is like the beasts that 
perish." "Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory 
of his house is increased." " Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher ; 
all is vanity." 

See a fine instance of the forgiveness of injuries. Saul had been David's 
sworn foe, and had pursued him to the last with remorseless malignity. 
Yet while he was alive, David never took an advantage to injure him 
when he had him completely in his power. And when he died he 
mourned over him, and eulogized him far beyond his desert. And 
years after, he inquires whether any of his family was left — not to cut 
them off, lest they should disturb his government, or to punish the sins 
of the father upon the children. Thus Athaliah arose, and destroyed 
all the seed royal. Thus Abimelech would leave none remaining of 
his father's house, and slew his brethren, the sons of Jerubbaal, being 
threescore and ten persons, upon one stone. And the same barbarous 
exterminations have been always practised in the East. But David 
asks if any is left, to " show him kindness." Let us learn from hence, 
not to avenge ourselves, but rather to give place unto wrath. A greater 
than David has said, " Love your enemies ; bless them that curse you." 
And he perfectly exemplified his own command : " When reviled, he 
reviled not again ; when he suffered, he threatened not," but prayed, 
fi Father, forgive them ; for they know not what they do." 

We have here a proof of real and refined affection. That I may show 
him kindness " for Jonathan's sake." Jonathan had been his bosom- 
friend, and his open and generous conduct had justly endeared him to 
David. Steadiness of attachment is to be admired. Thine own friend 
and thy father's friend forsake not. A friend is born for adversity, and 
loveth at all times, and his regard will extend beyond the individual to 
his connections and offspring. God himself acts upon this principle, 
and tells us that the children of his servant shall continue, and that the 
generation of the upright shall be blessed. " I have been young," says 
David, " and now am old ; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, 
nor his seed begging bread." And shall not we act upon the same 



384 MORNING EXERCISES. 

principle in another case? Who remembered us in our low estate? 
Who, when rich, for our sakes became poor ? Who died, that we might 
live ? He was received up into glory, and is no more in the world. 
But are there none left of his family who stand in need of our assist- 
ance ? Let us pity and relieve them. Whatever we do unto one of the 
least of all these, he will esteem as done unto himself. 

It was honorable in David not to wait to be addressed, but endeavor to 
search out the object. We are to devise liberal things, and not only to 
seize, but to seek opportunities of doing good. The most needy and 
deserving are generally the least clamorous, and like the stricken deer, 
retire and bleed alone. Such we must seek after. We should not wait 
for the enforcement of claims, if conscience tells us they are due. Some, 
we fear, would never pay a debt, if they thought the creditor had for- 
gotten it. But justice is the rule of our duty. 

We can go no farther in our praise of David. Surely his kindness 
loses somewhat of its excellency in its lateness. Mephibosheth was five 
years old when David ascended the throne, and was now married, and 
had a son. Thus a considerable number of years must have elapsed 
since God had delivered David out of all his adversity. He therefore — 
though better late than never — should have made this inquiry much ear- 
lier. What shall we say to this ? We ought to make the best of every 
thing, especially in the conduct of great and good men. But none of them 
are faultless. And the sacred writers always show their impartiality. 
They always record things just as they occurred, regardless of conse- 
quences ; their only aim is truth. It has been said, in exculpation of 
David, that he was so much engaged in war, and pressed with such a 
multiplicity of engagements. There was a truth in this, but it does 
not entirely excuse him. He had entered into covenant with Jonathan, 
and should immediately have shown his seed " the kindness of God f 
that is, the kindness which he had sworn in his presence to exercise. 
Let us take heed that indulgence does not harden the heart, and when 
we prosper, let us watch and pray, lest we enter into temptation. The 
prosperity of fools destroys them ; and the prosperity of wise men com- 
monly injures them. As people rise in the world, they lose their recol- 
lection. The chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgat him. 
Lord, what is man ! 

In all things Jesus has the preeminence. He remembered us as soon 
as he came into his kingdom. And though he passed into the heavens, 
he is still touched with the feeling of our infirmities. 



AUGUST 14. 

"And David said unto him, Fear not; for I will surely show thee kindness for Jona- 
than thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father ; and thou 
shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy 
servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?" 2 Sam. 9 : 7, 8. 

David had inquired whether there was any left of the house of Saul, 
that he might show him kindness for Jonathan's sake. Upon which, 



AUGUST 14. 385' 

Ziba, an old retainer in Saul's family, said unto the king, " Jonathan has 
yet a son, which is lame on his feet." This lameness was occasioned by 
an accident, in consequence of the battle of Gilboa, by which his grand- 
father and his father were both slain. The nurse, not only from the 
terror such an event naturally inspires, but also from knowing that 
Mephibosheth was now the heir apparent to the throne, and that the 
victors would eagerly seek to apprehend him, to secure and conceal her 
precious charge, took him up and fled, but fell, and crippled him for life. 
To how many perils are children exposed in their rearing, and how 
thankful should we feel to the providence of God if we have escaped 
them. 

Yet, instead of pitying Mephibosheth, we ought rather to congratu- 
late him on this affliction. In the earlier stages of society corporeal 
accomplishments are much rated ; and had not Mephibosheth been thus 
disfigured and dismembered, the adherents of Saul's house would prob- 
ably, as he was the next heir, have proclaimed him,, instead of his uncle 
Ishbosheth, and then it is most likely he would have been murdered, as 
he was. Who knows what is good for a man in this vain life? And 
who knows what is evil? How often have we deprecated things for 
which we have afterwards been thankful ! How much do we owe to 
the disappointments of life ! What dangers have ill health or reduced 
substance prevented ! 

" Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take : 

The clouds ye so much dread 
Are big with mercy, and shall break 
In blessings on your head." 

v ' And the king said, Where is he? And Ziba said, Behold, he is in 
the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar." Here probably 
resided in obscurity his mother's relations, and here he himself was for- 
gotten, like a dead man out of mind. Machir, with whom he dwelt, 
seems to have been a noble, generous man, who took charge of Mephib- 
osheth from pity for one born to honor, and the son of so excellent a 
father, and not from any disaffection to David. Yea, we afterwards 
find him equally kind to David, and furnishing him with every refresh- 
ment when he was driven an exile into his neighborhood, by the rebel- 
lion of Absalom. And may not David's kindness to Mephibosheth at 
this time have induced Machir the more promptly and extensively to 
exert himself in favor of David in his subsequent distress ? If so, it 
says, " Give a portion to seven, and also to eight ; for thou knowest 
not what evil shall be upon the earth." The aid we impart to-day we 
may want to-morrow. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain 
mercy. 

The king sent and fetched him. And observe his introduction at 
court. When he was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did 
reverence. David had done the very same to this cripple's father a 
few years before, bowing himself three times to the earth. What 
changes take place in the conditions of men! David had too reflective 

Morn Exer. — p 



386 MORNING EXERCISES. 

a mind not to think of this. He had probably never seen Mephibosheth 
before, though he was born about the time of his intimacy with his be- 
loved father. The first thing I suppose he would look for in his features 
would be the image of Jonathan. David had too much sensibility not 
to be impressed with the affecting scene. Feeling is always brief in 
expression. He utters only one word, but the manner in which he pro- 
nounced it said every thing. And David said, Mephibosheth ! It was 
the language of surprise, tenderness, and endearment. 

Why was he afraid of David? It is not probable that he appre- 
hended any danger from him. But he had been living in the country, 
and in privacy, from a child. And it is no unusual thing for a stranger 
to be intimidated at the presence of a very superior and extraordinary 
man. Madame de Stael, though accustomed to the highest society, and 
endued with such powers of address and conversation, says she was 
breathless in the company of the late emperor of France, and could 
never rise above this prostration of mind. But David was a greater 
man, and as great a warrior, considering the age in which he lived. 
Seeing the depression of his countenance and his tremor, 

David said to him, " Fear not ; for I will surely show thee kindness 
for Jonathan's sake," and gave him the assurance of two things. First, 
upon the suppression of Ishbosheth's faction, Saul's estate had been con- 
fiscated to the crown ; this he promises to give him, with all its future 
revenues. And secondly, he assigns him a residence in his palace, and 
a constant access to himself. I will restore thee all the land of Saul 
thy father, and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. 

And how did Mephibosheth receive these honors ? He was not one 
of those who take every favor as a debt, and imagine their friends are 
only doing their duty, and very imperfectly too, perhaps, in every kind- 
ness they show them, but he exclaims, " What is thy servant, that thou 
shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?" A dog is fitter to be 
under the table than at the side of it, and a dead dog is fitter for the 
ditch than the palace. It was a strong, proverbial expression, used to 
signify how mean and base and unworthy and unqualified he deemed 
himself. But if he received these benefits from David with so much 
thankfulness and humility, how ought we to feel under those blessings 
which God bestows upon us ? And here let me ask three questions : 

And first — not to dwell on the ordinary bounties of his providence — 
has he not remembered us in our low estate ? Has he not sought and 
saved our souls ? Has he not restored our forfeited inheritance ? Has 
he not given us a name and a place in his house, that we may eat and 
drink at his table in his kingdom ? 

Secondly, and are not the blessings he has conferred upon us infi- 
nitely greater than those Mephibosheth received from David ? It might 
seem an immense thing, to a worldly mind, to be fetched out of distant 
obscurity, and enriched with a royal demesne, and allowed to live at a 
splendid court. But Mephibosheth, perhaps, was not even so happy as 
before ; and for whatever purposes he valued his elevation, he soon left 



AUGUST 15. 387 

it, and found that he had set his eyes on that which is not. But we are 
blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Our 
dignities and enjoyments yield the most perfect satisfaction. And they 
will endure for ever. 

Thirdly, and how much less reason had we to look for such favors 
from God, than Mephibosheth had to expect such bestowments from 
David. He was David's fellow-creature, and he had a claim founded 
in a community of nature> He was the son of an intimate friend, to 
whom he was under obligation. He was also a relation, being the 
child of his brother-in-law. Though a sufferer, he was innocent, and 
had always conducted himself properly towards David. 

But, Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him ; or the son of 
man, that thou visitest him ? We were strangers, enemies by wicked 
works, unworthy of the least of all his mercies, deserving that his wrath 
should come upon us as the children of disobedience. What then ought 
to be our self-abasement, our gratitude ? But where are they ? Are 
they urging us to exclaim, Not unto us, .Lord ; not unto us ? By thy 
grace we are what we are. Are they inducing us to utter abundantly 
the memory of his great goodness, and recommend him all the day long 
to others? Are they constraining us, by his -mercies, to present our 
bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is our reasonable 
service ? 



AUGUST 15. 



"Praise waiteth for thee, God, in Zion; and unto thee shall the vow be performed." 
Psa. 65 : 1. 

Here we have the church's praise and the church's vow ; the suspen- 
sion of the one and the fulfilment of the other. 

In general, God waits for our praise. And how slow and reluctant 
are we in rendering it! And how seldom, at last, do we render according 
to the benefit done unto us! Here praise waits in Zion for him. The 
meaning is, that the deliverance or blessing which they were in need of 
had not arrived, but they were looking for it. They had their harp in 
their hand, ready to strike up a song of thanksgiving, but delay kept 
them silent. Praise waited, therefore, because the church waited. 

And this is no unusual thing, first, as to their spiritual experience. 
They wish to be able to view him as the strength of their heart and 
their portion for ever, and to claim all the exceeding great and precious 
promises as their own. But they are doubtful and uncertain ; yea, they 
often exclude themselves from all part and lot in the matter. Now we 
cannot praise him for what we think he has not done for us or given to 
us, but only for what he has. If, therefore, he has forgiven and accepted 
us, the acknowledgment of the blessing requires the knowledge of it. 
Yet how many are in a state of anxiety, waiting for the Lord more than 
they that watch for the morning, and praying, Say unto my soul, I am 
thy salvation ! And, 



388 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Secondly, as to providential dispensations. How long was it, even 
after David had been anointed by Samuel, before he was established on 
the throne. How long did Joseph wait, with every prospect growing 
darker, before his prophetic dreams were accomplished. And so Abra- 
ham, only " after he had patiently endured, obtained the promise." God 
keeps back, till self-despair and the failure of creature confidence have 
spread a dark ground on which his glory must be seen. He loves to 
astonish as well as succor. He will convince us in future difficulties 
that he is able to do for us exceeding abundantly above all we can ask 
or think. Therefore at evening-time it is light, and he turneth the 
shadow of death into the morning. 

Here, however, let it be observed, that Christians cannot be ever 
entirely silent. They have always much to praise God for. "Whatever 
be their present condition, it might have been much worse; yea, in 
every thing they are to give thanks. Nor will they be silent long. 
The vision is only for an appointed time. Yet a little while, and he 
that shall come will come, and will not tarry. And they need not be 
silent at all, if they have faith in God ; for faith can see the certainty of 
the thing before it takes place, and cause us always to triumph in Christ, 
while yet the warfare is not actually accomplished. 

If hope deferred maketh the heart sick, when it cometh it is a tree 
of life. Therefore says the church, " Unto thee shall the vow be per- 
formed." The vow means, their solemn engagement to praise him 
when the deliverance or blessing arrived. " If he appears to my joy, I 
will give him the glory that is due unto his name : witness my vow." 
We do not always admire vows. They often ensnare the soul, and give 
the enemy an advantage over us. And Christians, as they advance in 
self-knowledge, are commonly more disposed to pray to God, than to 
stipulate with him. It is a useful hint which Cowper gives us, 

"Beware of Peter's word, 

Nor confidently say, 
I never will deny thee, Lord ; 
But, Grant I never may." 

Yet vows, in some cases, may be useful. They may prove as a kind of 
fence to the field, or hem to the garment. They may serve to remind us 
when we forget, and to humble us when we fail. But two things should 
be always observed. The first is, that they be formed in an entire de- 
pendence upon divine grace. " By thee only will we make mention of 
thy name." " Through God we shall do valiantly." 

The second is, that when we have made them, we should be con- 
cerned to fulfil them. " When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not 
to pay it ; for he hath no pleasure in fools : pay that which thou hast 
vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou should- 
est vow and not pay." Yet how often have men bound themselves when 
they were in danger, sickness, and affliction, and forgetting or violating 
their vow, have turned again to folly. Even Jacob, after all his solemn 
covenanting with God in the prospect of his journey, was awfully remiss 



AUGUST 16. 389 

upon his return, till, divinely rebuked, he said, " Let us arise, and go up 
to Beth-el : and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me 
in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way in which I went." 
Hannah was more exemplary. She had vowed that, if her prayer was 
answered, she would give her son to the Lord as long as he lived. The 
surrender was painful, but as soon as she had weaned him, she took 
him to Shiloh, and brought him to Eli : " And she said, my lord, as 
thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, pray- 
ing unto the Lord. For this child I prayed ; and the Lord hath given 
me my petition which I asked of him : therefore also I have lent him to 
the Lord ; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord." " Well 
done, thou good and faithful servant." 



AUGUST 16. 



" Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast a hook, 
and take up the fish that first cometh up ; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou 
shalt find a piece of money ; that take, and give unto them, for me and thee." Matt. 
17 : 27. 

How well was it foretold that his name should be called Won- 
derful ! 

What a surprising combination of attributes was displayed in him ! 
Observe the case before us. Here, while we behold his penury and 
dependence, so that he did not possess wherewithal to pay the temple 
tribute, we perceive his omniscience ; so that in Peter's house he could 
pierce the waters of the sea, and discern a particular fish, and see what 
was in its body, and announce a piece of money there, and the very 
name of the coin. Surely the darkness hideth not from him, but the 
night shineth as the day. "Neither is there any creature that is not 
manifest in his sight ; but all things are naked and opened unto the 
eyes of him with whom we have to do." 

He who saw the stater in this fish, sees what money we are in the 
possession of, and how we acquired it, and the way in which we are 
using it. He sees whether we are needlessly hoarding, or wastefully 
expending it. He sees whether we are making it our hope and confi- 
dence, or valuing it only as an instrument of lawful enjoyment and of 
pious and benevolent use. He sees the responsibilities of the owner, 
and knows how he will feel when he shall be called to leave it, and 
when he will be required to give an account of it at the last day. 

Here we also behold his power and dominion. He is Lord of all. 
The beasts of the field obey him. At his bidding not a dog moves his 
tongue in the departure of the Israelites. At his command the dumb 
ass speaks with man's voice, and rebukes the madness of the prophet. 
The fowls of the air obey him. At his order the ravens bring Elijah 
bread and meat in the morning and the evening. The fishes of the sea 
obey him. At his command a great fish swallows the disobedient, and 
disembarks the penitent Jonah. And here a fish, at his requirement, 



390 MORNING EXERCISES. 

goes and takes up from the bottom of the sea a stater, and then goes 
and bites at Peter's hook, with this in his maw. "All things are put 
under his feet ; all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field ; the 
fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through 
the paths of the sea." 

Could any thing be better adapted to encourage the confidence of 
the disciples in the kindness and all-sufficiency of his providence, when 
he was sending them forth as sheep among wolves, and without any 
known supplies to live upon? He commissioned the seventy to go in 
pairs through the whole country. But he sent them forth without 
purse, or scrip, or shoes. And they had, it would seem, many uneasy 
and distracting thoughts at the time. They did not indeed express 
them, but our Lord was aware of them, and remembered them. And 
when they came back, he brings them to their own recollection : " How 
came you to think that I, who employed you, should not provide for 
you? Why did you doubt my inclination, or my ability ? When I sent 
you forth without purse and scrip, lacked ye any thing ? And they 
said, Nothing, Lord." 

Are you called to leave behind you those who seem to hang on your 
care? Hear this Saviour at your dying-bed saying, "Leave thy father- 
less children, I will preserve them alive : and let thy widows trust in 
me." " fear the Lord, all ye his saints ; for there is no want to them 
that fear him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger ; but they 
that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." 



AUGUST 17. 

"Ye know all things." 1 John 2 : 20. 

The reason or the cause is previously given : " We have an unction 
from the Holy One." This unction means, the Spirit of grace and 
truth. This the Saviour possessed personally : he " was anointed with 
the Holy Ghost and with power," and had the Spirit without measure. 
And as Mediator, for the suffering of death, he received all the fulness 
of it for the supply of his people. They therefore derive it from him, 
and it is not only sanctifying, but illuminating ; it leads them " into all 
truth," and " they know all things." This is a bold expression ; but 
the extensiveness of it must be taken with four distinctions. 

First, it means only things religious. It does not intend to intimate 
that every Christian is familiar with the secrets of nature, the resources 
of trade, the mysteries of government, the structure of language, and a 
thousand other things. With regard to these, he may be far surpassed 
by the people of the world. Not that religion stultifies its possessor ; 
it is favorable to the acquisition of knowledge generally, by rousing and 
employing the mind, and thereby improving it. But it is distinguish- 
able from learning and science, and makes us acquainted with " the 
things which accompany salvation." 

Secondly, it means not only things religious, but revealed. " The 



AUGUST IT. 391 

secret things belong unto the Lord our God ; but those things which 
are revealed belong unto us, and to our children for ever, that we may 
do all the words of this law." This passage should never be forgotten. 
It would draw some persons a little farther from the decrees of God, 
and a little nearer to his commands. The sacred writers prophesy but 
in part. Had every thing been made known in the Scripture, the world 
could not have contained the books that would have been written, and 
our attention would have been so divided and diffused, that the one 
thing needful would have been forgotten. There are numberless sub- 
jects upon which a busy and curious mind would speculate, concerning 
which the word is silent. But where God says nothing, we are not to 
be wise above what is written. If men will conjecture, let them conjec- 
ture without devouring much of their time or injuring their temper, 
and without censoriousness, self-conceit, and positiveness. He that 
hath a dream, let him tell a dream. What is the chaff to the wheat? 
When our Saviour had foretold the duty and destination of Peter, and 
Peter, not satisfied with this, inquired concerning John, " Lord, and 
what shall this man do?" instead of answering him, he reproved his 
impatient and presumptuous curiosity : " If I will that he tarry till I 
come, what is that to thee? follow thou me." 

Thirdly, it not only means things revealed, but revealed things of 
importance. Every thing, even in the Scripture, is not equally momen- 
tous and interesting. Some things are hard to be understood, but then 
it is not necessary to be able to understand them. Yet such things as 
these are not without their use, if they make us humble, by showing us 
the limits of the human understanding, and lead us, while we adore here, 
to study elsewhere. How many things are there in the geography, the 
chronology, the natural philosophy of the Scriptures, in which we may 
be safely unversed. A man may be able to number his days so as to 
apply his heart unto wisdom, without knowing when antichrist will be 
destroyed. He may not know what creature Behemoth was, or where 
Ophir was, and yet he may know what is life eternal, and the way to it 
he may know. The Jews had the fiery cloudy pillar, not to examine, 
but to follow. They knew no more of its essence at the end of forty 
years than at the beginning, but it had led them by a right way to the 
city of habitation. There are things which concern the Lord Jesus, and 
to know these is the excellency of knowledge. These will make us 
wise unto salvation. There are things that are ornamental to a Chris- 
tian, and these are not to be undervalued ; but others are essential to 
his very being. Some things conduce to our comfort, but others involve 
even our safety. It is desirable, but not equally necessary, that a Chris- 
tian should be informed in all these truths. 

Fourthly, with regard to things of importance, it only means a com- 
parative knowledge of these in our present state. Of the God of grace 
as well as of the God of nature we are compelled to say, " How small 
a portion is known of Him." What one truth is there that we can 
trace back completely to its rise, or follow on to its last outfall ? We 



392 MORNING EXERCISES. 

read of things which angels desire to look into ; of a peace which 
passeth all understanding ; of a joy unspeakable. The love of Christ 
passeth knowledge. 

" The cross, the manger, and the throne, 
Are big with glories yet unknown." 

More we cannot concede. If Christians are comparatively igno- 
rant, they are comparatively wise. They are children of the light and 
of the day. They have an understanding given them to know him that 
is true. Not that they are endued with a new physical faculty, but 
they have another kind of knowledge ; and it is as superior as it is 
peculiar. There is as much difference between their present and their 
former knowledge, as between the shining of the glow-worm and the 
vital lustre of the sun. They have a heart to know. They see divine 
things, not only in their reality, but in their beauty and excellency ; and 
while this gives them a firmer conviction of their certainty than they had 
before, so it gains their affection to them, and brings their souls under 
their influence. Thus with them the darkness is past, and the true light 
now shineth. They walk in the light as he is in the light. The secret 
of the Lord is with them, and he shows them his covenant. " The natu- 
ral man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are fool- 
ishness unto him ; neither can he know them, because they are spiritu- 
ally discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things." 

Thus another reproach is rolled away. Christians are not only con- 
sidered as slaves, as cowards, as the victims of gloom and melancholy, 
but are often despised or pitied as fools. Yet are they the wisest peo- 
ple in the world. Their religion, from first to last, is wisdom. And it 
is justified of all her children. 



AUGUST 18. 

" My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, Lord." Psa. 5 : 3. 

Authors have found the morning the best time for study and com- 
position. Hence it has been called the friend of the muses. It would 
be easy to prove that it is equally a friend to the graces and the duties. 
It is the finest season for reflection and devotion. David found it so ; 
and therefore resolves, " My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, 
Lord." What voice ? The voice of praise, and the voice of prayer ; 
the one excited by looking back, and the other by looking forward. 

How much is there in the morning to call forth the voice of thanks- 
giving ! Let us think of the season we have just passed through. How 
many houseless creatures this night have had no place where to lay 
their head. How many victims of accident and disease have been full 
of tossing to and fro, until the dawning of the day ; their beds have 
not comforted them, nor their couch eased their complaint. How many 
have been deprived of repose while attending their neighbors, friends, 
and relations in sickness and sorrow. How many, since the last set- 
ting sun, have entered an awful eternity. How many this night have 



AUGUST 18. 393 

been cut off in their sins ! Many have been terrified, robbed, injured, 
murdered by wicked and unreasonable men. How many have been 
consumed by fire, or drowned with water. How many, this night, have 
been engaged in works of darkness ; and who, if any knew them, would 
be in the terrors of the shadow of death. How many have risen this 
morning to pass the day in anguish ; how many to suffer want. How 
many, who have all things richly to enjoy, have risen only to live 
another day without God in the world. They lie down and rise up like 
the beasts that perish ; God is not in all their thoughts. And is it oth- 
erwise with us ? What shall we render unto the Lord for all his bene- 
fits towards us ? Bless the Lord, my soul ; and all that is within me, 
bless his holy name. magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his 
name together. 

And with how many of these merciful nights have we been favored, 
Hence, perhaps, we have been so little affected with the goodness of God 
in them. How strange, that what increases the greatness of our obli- 
gation should diminish the sense of it. Yet it is by the interruption, 
the suspension, the want of our comforts, we are made to learn the 
value of them. Let us guard against this perverseness of ingratitude. 
Let us remember, that if our mercies are common, they must be numer- 
ous ; and if numerous, they multiply the claims to our praise. 

And shall our gratitude evaporate in a mere morning acknowledg- 
ment? Shall we not, by the mercies of God, dedicate ourselves to his 
service, and be in his fear all the day long? 

And when we think of the day before us, how much is there to 
awaken concern. And what is our concern without the attention of 
God? He shall therefore in the morning hear, not only the voice of 
praise, but the voice of prayer. 

"Who is to guide me through the day upon which I have entered? 
How much depends upon one mistake in my movements. And how 
easily may I go astray. The way of man is not in himself; it is not in 
man that walketh to direct his steps. " Cause me to hear thy loving- 
kindness in the morning, for in thee do I trust ; cause me to know the 
way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my soul unto thee." 

Who is to guard me through the day? And I am much more ex- 
posed when awake than when asleep. My soul is more exposed — more 
exposed to sin, and sin is the greatest evil. And what am I, to resist 
a corrupt heart, a wicked world, and all the powers of darkness ? 
" Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe. Be thou my arm every morn- 
ing ; my salvation also in the time of trouble." 

Who is to help me through the day? I have many duties to dis- 
charge. I am to live soberly, righteously, and godly. I am to walk in 
wisdom towards those that are without ; I am to speak the truth in 
love ; I am to adorn the doctrine of God my Saviour in all things. 
" Lord, without thee, I can do nothing. Let thy grace be sufficient for 
me, and thy strength made perfect in weakness." 

Who is to give me success in the business of the day ? I know I 



394 MORNING EXERCISES. 

ought not to be idle, but to be diligently and prudently employed in my 
lawful calling. Means are mine, but how much more is necessary than 
my wisdom and anxiety. " The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich, 
and he addeth no sorrow with it." " Except the Lord build the house, 
they labor in vain that build it ; except the Lord keep the city, the 
watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for me to rise up early, to sit 
up late, to eat the bread of sorrows ; for so he giveth his beloved 
sleep." 

Who is to prepare me for the events of the day ? And I know not 
what the day may bring forth. Perhaps I may receive the most un- 
welcome intelligence. Perhaps I may sustain losses in property. Per- 
haps I may meet with mortifications from my fellow-creatures, and be 
tried with disappointments in friends. My child may this day be taken 
sick. The desire of mine eyes may be taken away with a stroke. 
There may be but a step between me and death. It is wonderful we 
live a day through. " May I know how to be abased, or how to abound. 
If in the world I have tribulation, in the Saviour may I have peace. 
So teach me to number my days, that I may apply my heart unto wis- 
dom. That whether I live, I may live unto the Lord ; or whether I 
die, I may die unto the Lord : so that living and dying, I may be the 
Lord's;' 



AUGUST 19. 



" I am married unto you." Jer. 3 : 14. 

Marriage is the nearest and the most intimate of all human rela- 
tions. It is surpassed only by the union between soul and body. Here 
are two persons meeting together, who perhaps never saw each other 
some time before ; yet coming under the power of this ordinance, are 
united in a connection that exceeds the claims of nature, and the wife 
becomes dearer than the dearest parent. " Therefore shall a man leave 
his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife ; and they shall 
be one flesh." 

Thus Christians, though once strangers and far off, become the peo- 
ple of God, a people nigh unto him ; yea, one with him, in a perpetual 
covenant that shall not be forgotten. He is not ashamed to own the 
relation, " I am married unto you." "What is supremely and essentially 
included in this relation, when properly established? 

In such a marriage, there is mutual love. This love regards the 
person, and not the endowments. And such a love there is between 
God and his people. It commenced on his side much earlier than on 
theirs, and his love to them produced their love to him. For love 
begets love ; and we love him, because he first loved us. Yet their love 
is mutual, and he says, "I love them that love me." 

The same may be said of mutual choice. In a proper marriage, the 
parties freely elect each other. God has chosen his people, and they 
have chosen him. For though once averse to him, as their Lord and 



AUGUST 20. 395 

portion, they are made willing in the day of his power ; and this power 
is not violence, but influence, the influence of wisdom and goodness. 
He works in them to will and to do of his good pleasure. He draws 
them, and they run after him ; and they can all say from the heart, 
" Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that 
I desire beside thee." 

In this connection, there is also confidence and communication. 
Where this is wanting, the spirit of it is materially injured, and the 
relation is very defectively maintained. It is readily allowed, that the 
woman should not carry on designs concealed from the husband ; but is 
not every thing here reciprocal? And is he justified in treating her 
with reserve and silence? Yet there are many wives who have had 
no intimation of the state of their husbands' affairs, till they have 
found themselves plunged into a condition overwhelming them with 
surprise, as well as calamity. The secret of the Lord is with them that 
fear him, and he will show them his covenant. And they, in all their 
ways, acknowledge him. They pour out their hearts before him : they 
hide nothing from him. 

There is also in this alliance, fellowship and community of goods. 
However poor or mean the wife was before, she is now raised to a par- 
ticipation of the husband's rank and affluence ; and however free and 
independent he was before, the husband now enters into all the condi- 
tion of the wife. And thus the believer dedicates himself to God 
with all he is and has. He feels his cause his own ; he deplores its 
reproaches, he rejoices in its success. And God gives himself, with all 
he is and all he has, to the believer. In all his afflictions he is afflicted, 
and he that toucheth him toucheth the apple of his eye. 

Finally, there is a complacency and delight. As the bridegroom 
rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. He will 
rejoice over thee with joy ; he will rest in his love ; he will rejoice over 
thee with singing. 

How wonderful is this, and yet how true. 

How blessed are the people who are in such a case. 

Art thou in this happy, this glorious condition? All hail! Thy 
Maker is thy husband. There was joy in the presence of the angels of 
God the hour thou gavest thy consent to the proposals of the gospel. 

Art thou willing to be united to him ? His ministers invite and woo 
thee. Come, for all things are now ready. Kesemble not Israel, who 
would have none of him, and so were given up. Behold, now is the 
accepted time ; behold, now is the day of salvation. 



AUGUST 20. 



" His going forth is prepared as the morning ; and he shall come unto us as the rain, 
as the latter and former rain unto the earth." Hosea 6 : 3. 

"His going forth," and "his coming," mean his displays and his com- 
munications on behalf of those who earnestly and perseveringly seek 









396 MORNING EXERCISES. 

after him ; according to the words immediately preceding : " Then shall 
we know, if we follow on to know the Lord." TWcontains the assur- 
ance of their success ; here is added the illustration of it. It consists 
of two images, equally beautiful and encouraging. 

The first derived from the morning : " His going forth is prepared 
as the morning.'' When the morning is not yet come, we fully rely 
upon it. We know it is coming ; we know it is secured in the appoint- 
ment of Providence, and the arrangements of nature. It never yet 
failed, and it never will as long as the world endures. And does not 
the God of all grace express the immutability of his counsel by the cer- 
tainty of this very allusion ? " Thus saith the Lord, If ye can break my 
covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there 
should not be day and night in their season, then may also my covenant 
be broken with David my servant." What can hinder the approach and 
the rising of the sun ? And his going forth is prepared as surely as the 
morning. 

And as luminously too. The morning drives away the darkness, and 
shines upon our path, so that we see where we are, and how to move. 
" If a man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light 
of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because 
there is no light in him." The Lord will come, and manifest himself to 
his people. He will show them his covenant ; He will lead them into 
all truth. And with regard to doctrine and experience and practice, 
and also their interest in the divine favor, he will make darkness light 
before them, and crooked things straight j these things will he do unto 
them, and not forsake them. 

It is also as delightsome as the morning. The night is a season of 
gloom, as it is a period of confinement and danger, and fear and anxiety. 
Paul's mariners, in the storm, cast four anchors, and wished for the 
day. David refers to travellers and sentinels, who watched for the 
morning, as the image of his waiting for the Lord. Some nights are 
less cheerless than others, but at best they have only the moon and 
stars ; the sun is wanting. He alone can make the morning ; and 
when he comes, the birds sing, the lambs play, and man partakes of the 
cheerfulness that spreads all around. " Truly the light is sweet ; and 
a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun." Creatures are 
pleasing, but. none of them can supply the place of God. He is our sun, 
as well as our shield ; and the language of the gracious heart is, " Oh, 
when wilt thou come unto me ? Thou alone canst put my fears to flight. 
Thou alone canst inspire me with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 

But the morning comes not all at once, but gradually. What a dif- 
ference is there between the first glimmerings of the dawn, and the 
splendor of noon. So the path of the just is as the shining light, that 
shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 

The second is derived from the rain : " He shall come unto us as the 
rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." God asks, " Can 
any of the vanities of the Gentiles send rain?" He claims the pro- 



AUGUST 21. 397 

duction as his own divine prerogative, and justly wonders that we 
do not notice it more than we do. " Neither say they in their heart, 
Let us now fear the Lord our God that giveth rain ; both the former 
and the latter in his season." In Judea the rain was less frequent and 
more periodical than with us. It peculiarly fell after autumn and 
spring; that is, just after seed-time, and just before reaping; the 
former to soften the ground, and quicken the grain, and aid the spring- 
ing thereof ; the latter to fill the corn in the ear, and hasten its matu- 
rity. 

What would nature be without rain? "We are equally dependent 
on the grace of God. But under the influences of his word and Spirit, 
we revive and grow as the corn. These influences are always needful ; 
but is it pressing the metaphor to observe that there are two seasons 
when they are peculiarly experienced ? The one is connected with the 
beginning of the divine life ; this may be called the former rain. The 
other, with the close of it ; this may be called the latter rain. The 
one is to enliven ; the other, to confirm. To the " former " many can 
look back, and ask, 

" Where is the blessedness I knew 

When first I saw the Lord ? 
Where is that soul-refreshing view 

Of Jesus and his word?" 

Others are longing for the " latter." Their salvation is nearer than 
when they believed, but they do not yet feel as they wish. They want 
more faith, more hope, more consolation, more of all the fulness of God. 
Let the last showers descend, and the appointed weeks of harvest come, 
and the produce be brought home with " shoutings, Grace, grace, unto 
it." 



AUGUST 21. 



" Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is 
sick." John 11 : 3. 

These words furnish several sources of remark and instruction. 

The first regards the love of Jesus. In his love to Lazarus there 
was something peculiar and something common. He loved him with a 
partial, and he loved him with a divine affection. To know Christ 
after the flesh is a privilege which has long since ceased, and to be loved 
by him under the advantage of his humanity was a favor restricted to 
few. But there is, however, another sense in which, as he loved Laza- 
rus, so he loves us ; and though we share not in the partial regard of 
the friend, we are the subjects of the divine regard of the Saviour. This 
love commenced from no excellency in us, like the love of creatures. It 
took knowledge of us when we were sinners. It began before the foun- 
dation of the world. It led him to espouse our cause, and brought him 
under an engagement to suffer and die for us. His people remember 
this love more than wine. 

The second regards the affliction of Lazarus. He was " sick." Sick- 






398 MORNING EXERCISES. 

ness is one of the common calamities of life, and it is one of the most 
painful and trying. Yet Lazarus was exercised with it, though he was 
loved of Jesus. This explains the nature of his love, and shows us that 
it does not exempt its subjects from distress. It is not the foolish fond- 
ness of a father, who, when correction is necessary, spares the child for 
his crying. He that thus " spareth the rod, hateth his son ; but he that 
loveth him, chastens him betimes." Could we now see, as we shall 
hereafter, the principle, the design, the alleviations, the advantages of 
the afflictions of the righteous, we should perceive that they are not 
only compatible with divine love, but the fruit, the proof of it. " Whom 
the Lord loveth, he chasteneth ; and scourgeth every son whom he 
receiveth." 

The third regards the mission of the sisters. " Therefore the sisters 
sent unto Jesus." Their affliction led to this application. To induce us 
to send to him is the design of our trials, for we are too forgetful of him 
in ease and prosperity. " In their affliction they will seek me early." 
What can we do without him then? Therefore says the Teacher as 
well as the Chastiser, " Call upon me in the day of trouble." And what 
a solace ; what a relief ; what a source of support, sanctification, and 
deliverance is prayer. John's disciples, therefore, when their master 
was beheaded, not only took up the body and buried it, but " went and 
told Jesus." " I will say unto God," was the resolve of Job, " Do not 
condemn me ; show me wherefore thou contendest with me." And says 
David, " From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee when my heart 
is overwhelmed : lead me to the Rock that is higher than I." Thus 
it has been with all who have heard the rod. They have all said, " A 
glorious high throne from the beginning has been the place of our 
sanctuary." 

Therefore his sisters sent unto him. It is pleasing when, in our nat- 
ural relations, we have spiritual friends who will carry our cases, and 
spread them before the Lord. Many in their sickness have connections 
about them who are kind and attentive, but they never speak a word 
to them of their souls, and never administer to them the cordials of the 
gospel, though they often apply self-righteous opiates to stupefy con- 
science. They send for the physician and the lawyer, but do not ad- 
dress the Saviour for them. But some, like Lazarus, have those who 
will bear them upon their minds, and call in the aid of the Hope of 
Israel, the Saviour thereof, in the time of trouble. And what an en- 
couragement and comfort is this to those who are scarcely able to lift 
a thought to God for themselves, whose broken and distracted petitions 
seem unworthy of notice, and who know that the prayer of the right- 
eous availeth much. 

The fourth is the message they conveyed to him, " Saying, Lord, be- 
hold, he whom thou lovest is sick." From hence we may learn two 
things. First, the Lord's love gives us encouragement in prayer, and 
furnishes us with our most prevailing plea in dealing with him. They 
do not say, he whom we love, though this was true, nor he who loves 



AUGUST 21. 399 

thee, though this was true, but he whom thou lovest. How wise, how 
expressive was this ! As much as to say, " Hast not thou deigned to 
regard him already ? Has not thy kindness for him raised our confi- 
dence in thee, and our expectation from thee? Will not others turn 
their eyes towards thee, and see whether thy friendship is like the 
friendship of the world, which leaves its dependents in the hour of ne- 
cessity and distress?" "A true friend loveth at all times ; but is born 
for adversity.' 7 We read of pleading with God, and filling our mouth 
with arguments. Our most suitable* and successful ones must be derived 
from himself, and especially from his own goodness. " I plead nothing 
of my own, not even my love to thee. 

' Yet I love thee, and adore : 
for grace to love thee more !' 

But my love to thee is weak and cold ; and whatever it be, it is the 
effect of thy love to me. I was once a stranger and an enemy, and 
should have remained so still, hadst thou not found a way into my 
heart. But thou hast redeemed me by thy blood. Thou hast called 
me by thy grace. Thou hast opened my blind eyes. Thou hast turned 
my feet into the path of peace. And after all this love, wilt thou cast 
me off? Couldest thou not have destroyed me without showing me 
such things as these ?" 

Secondly, it is better for us, when we seek the Lord for temporal 
things, to refer our suit to his own good pleasure. I admire the man- 
ner in which these pious women addressed him. They do not pre- 
scribe — they hardly petition — they particularize nothing. They do not 
say, Lord, come to this house — come immediately — remove his malady — 
what will become of us if Lazurus should die ? but they state the case, 
and leave it : " Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick." When 
therefore we have to pray for deliverance from some trouble, or the 
acquisition of some outward favor, let us do it with modesty and re- 
serve. For these blessings are promised, not absolutely, but condition- 
ally ; that is, if they are good for us, and in the very same way they 
are to be implored. We must not desire them if they would be hurtful, 
and they may be injurious ; and God only knows whether this would 
be the result of success and indulgence. Had the Jews prayed in this 
manner for flesh, he would not have given them their hearts' desire, and 
sent leanness into their souls. What we extort, as it were, from God 
by restless importunity, turns the blessing into a curse. The feverish 
and inflamed state of the mind renders the gratification of the craving 
dangerous. We cannot be too earnest with God about spiritual bless- 
ings ; but as to every thing of a temporal nature, temperance of mind 
becomes us, and in resignation at his feet, we must endeavor to say, 
" Here I am ; let him do what seemeth him good. 

1 Assure me of thy wondrous love, 

Immeasurably kind ; 
And, Lord, to thine unerring will 
Be every wish resigned.'" 



400 MORNING EXERCISES. 

AUGUST 22. 
"The word of Christ." Col. 3: 10. 

So the Scriptures are called, because he is the author, and because 
he is the subject of their contents. They are not only derived from the 
inspiration of his Spirit, but they are full of his person and character, 
and sufferings and glory. There is nothing perhaps admitted into 
them but has some relation to him. "We cannot in many instances trace 
this connection at present, but we* shall see more of it when, in the 
church, the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the 
light of the sun shall be seven-fold, as the light of seven days. And 
perhaps to explore it perfectly will be a part of the blessedness and em- 
ployment of heaven. But when our Lord urged his hearers to search 
the Scriptures, he said, "They are they that testify of me" And, going 
to Emmaus with the two disciples, "he expounded unto them, in all the 
Scriptures, the things concerning himself." 

We may divide the Scriptures into six parts. 

There is the historical part. He is the substance of this. In Adam 
we see him the head and representative of his people. In Noah, as the 
restorer of a new world. In Isaac, as a victim laid on the altar. In 
Joseph, as a sufferer and a saviour. In Moses, as a lawgiver. In 
Aaron, as a high-priest. In Joshua, as a leader and commander. In 
Solomon, as the prince of peace. In Jonah, as buried, and rising from 
the grave. 

There is the ceremonial part. Of this he is the substance. He is 
the body of all its shadows, the reality of all its types. He is the rock, 
whose streams followed the Israel of God. He is the manna, the true 
bread that came down from heaven. In the city of refuge we behold 
him as our security from avenging justice, and in every bleeding sacri- 
fice as the atonement of our sins. 

There is the prophetical part. Here he is all in all. " To him gave 
all the prophets witness.' 7 " The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of 
prophecy." 

There is the promissory part. And how large and glorious a por- 
tion of it is filled with exceeding great and precious promises. What 
blessing can we need that is not furnished under the pledge of a God 
that cannot lie? "But all the promises of God in him are yea, and in 
him amen, unto the glory of God by us." 

There is the practical part. To be a Christian, is to live, not to our- 
selves, but to him that died for us, and rose again. Of good works, his 
example is the rule, his love is the motive, his Spirit is the author. He 
is the altar on which all our sacrifices are to be offered. Prayer is ask- 
ing in his name. Morals are from him. We are to love our wives even 
as he loved the church, and gave himself for it. 

There is the doctrinal part. And what is the great mystery of god- 
liness? " God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of 
angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received 






AUGUST 23. 401 

up into glory." Every doctrine of the gospel, as treated by the inspired 
authors, leads to him. If we are justified, it is by his righteousness. If 
we are sanctified, it is by his Spirit. If the glory of God shines forth, 
it is in the face of Jesus Christ. Providence is all power given unto 
him in heaven and in earth. The whole of Christianity is called " The 
truth as it is in Jesus." 

Take him out of the Bible, and you take the sun out of our world, 
and the soul out of the body. 

It is this that so powerfully endears the sacred volume to every real 
Christian. It is the word of one he supremely loves, and of one he 
feels to be infinitely necessary to all his comfort and all his hope. Of 
him he can never read or hear enough. 

my soul, let this word of Christ dwell in thee richly in all wis- 
dom. Never forget the admonition of kindness as well as of authority : 
"Bind it continually upon thy heart, and tie it about thy neck. "When 
thou goest, it shall lead thee ; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee ■ 
and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee." 



AUGUST 23. 



"Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land : 
when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it." Psa. 37 : 34. 

Here is a twofold admonition. 

First, " Wait on the Lord." " I hope to do so." But are you sure 
of this? Is there any thing in your religious exercises that really de- 
serves the name of waiting on God ? For persons may read without 
attention, and hear without faith, and sing without praise, and pray 
without desire. They may draw nigh to him with the mouth, and honor 
him with the lip, while the heart is far from him. But God is a Spirit; 
and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth. 
"I hope I do thus wait on him." But do you thus wait on him suffi- 
ciently ? In the sanctuary ; in the family j in the closet j in all your 
concerns ; like David, who said, On thee do I wait all the day, Lord? 

Secondly, " And keep his way." This is beautifully connected with 
the former. Wait and work ; wait and walk. Get grace, and exer- 
cise it. Persevere in the use of means, if present comfort be withholden. 
Neither give up the course in which you are engaged, nor turn aside, 
nor stand still, nor look back, nor seem to come short, though superiors 
frown, and companions reproach, and iniquity abounds, and the love of 
many waxes cold, and numbers walk no more with you. In all oppo- 
sition, and through every discouragement, let your soul follow hard 
after God. Thus did Job, and therefore he could say, " My foot hath 
held his steps ; his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I 
gone back from the commandment of his lips : I have esteemed the 
words of his mouth more than my necessary food." So it was also with 
the church. " Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps de- 
clined from thy way ; though thou hast sore broken us in the place of 

Morn. Exer. 26 



402 MORNING EXERCISES. 

dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.'' We have enough 
to animate us to hold on. " After two days will he revive us : in the 
third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then 
shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord. His going forth is 
prepared as the morning ; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the 
latter and former rain unto the earth." 

Here is a twofold promise. 

First, " He shall exalt thee to inherit the land." God is the source 
of all elevation and honor. He raised the Jews to the possession of 
Canaan, the glory of all lands. He dignifies Christians with a title to 
a better, even a heavenly country, where "with kings are they upon the 
throne." He advances them here as well as hereafter. For he is " the 
glory of their strength, and in his favor their horn is exalted." And he 
exalts them not only with regard to spiritual, but temporal things. For 
" the meek shall inherit the earth." Not that all of them are rich and 
great in the world. So far from it, they are commonly a poor and an af- 
flicted people. Not that every thing is actually in their possession, or 
that they have a civil right to it. Dominion is not founded in grace, 
but security is ; peace is ; contentment is ; happiness is. And as to cov- 
enant interest and enjoyment and improvement, " all things are theirs." 

Secondly, " When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it." And 
they will be cut off. They are often cut off even in life from their places 
and riches and prospects. At death they are cut off from all their pos- 
sessions and comforts ; for, poor as their portion here is, 

" 'T is all the happiness they know." 

Yea, they are then cut off from all the means of grace and the hopes 
of mercy. In the last day they will be cut off from " the resurrection of 
life ;" and before the assembled world they will hear the Judge irre- 
versibly excluding them from himself, the source of all happiness : " De- 
part, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his 
angels." 

Dreadful as the ruin is, there is nothing in it to alarm the praying 
and persevering believer. He will have no share in it. The vengeance 
that falls and crushes the foe will not, cannot touch the friend. He 
will only be a spectator ; and, strange as it may now seem, the sight 
will not affect his happiness. But is it necessary to go farther, and 
represent it as a source of pleasure and delight ? Surely it is enough 
that he will see it, and adore the mercy that graciously saved him, and 
acquiesce in the justice that righteously condemns others. 

As the saint will only see the destruction of the wicked, so the sin- 
ner will see the salvation of the righteous, and not partake of it. But 
to see such a blessedness, to see what was once within his own reach, 
and is now enjoyed by others, must be a source of the keenest anguish. 
Such was the display of plenty to the interdicted nobleman at the gate 
of Samaria : " Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes ; but thou shalt 
not eat thereof." And we know who has said, " There shall be weeping 



AUGUST 24. 403 

and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and 
Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourself 
thrust out." 



AUGUST 24 



"Smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn my hand upon 
the little ones." Zech. 13 : 7. 

We know who this Shepherd was. God speaks of him in the former 
part of the verse as " his fellow/ 7 and calls him " his Shepherd." He 
was God's Shepherd, because he appointed him to take the charge fcf his 
church, and to perform on their behalf all the duties implied in the pas- 
toral office. Hence it was foretold of him, " He shall feed his flock like 
a shepherd ; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in 
his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young." This 
character the Saviour applied to himself with an attribute of distinc- 
tion :"Iam the good shepherd." Paul styles him, "that great Shepherd 
of the sheep." Peter calls him, " the chief Shepherd," and " the Shepherd 
and Bishop of souls." Let the language of my heart be, "Tell me, 
thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy 
flock to rest at noon." 

He was to be " smitten." Every one that enters this vale of tears 
is a sufferer. But he was " a man of sorrows," and could say, "Behold, 
and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto 
me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger." 
For though he suffered from devils, who had their hour and power of 
darkness, and though he suffered from men — for against him both Herod 
and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were 
gathered together — yet it was only to do whatsoever his hand and his 
counsel determined before to be done. It pleased the Lord to bruise 
him. He put him to grief. When therefore the Jews esteemed him 
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted, they were right in the fact, but 
mistaken in the cause. They supposed he suffered for guilt ; and he 
did thus suffer, but the guilt was not his own. " He was wounded for 
our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities : the chastisement 
of our peace was upon him ; and with his stripes we are healed." Here 
let me contemplate the evil of sin in the sufferings of this divine victim. 
And here let me dwell on that love which passeth knowledge, that led 
him, all innocent as he was, voluntarily to become a sacrifice on our 
behalf, and to suffer, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us unto 
God. The glory of the gospel, the hope of the sinner, the triumph of 
the believer, all lies here, " It is Christ that died." 

It was a sad thing that his own disciples should abandon him at the 
very moment he was going to die for them, and after all their profes- 
sions of determined adherence to him. But when the shepherd was 
smitten, " the sheep were scattered." In this desertion he was not taken 
by surprise, for he had previously said, " Behold, the hour cometh, yea, 



404 MORNING EXERCISES. 

is now come, that ye shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall 
leave me alone." Yet how much he felt it may be inferred from his 
lamentation and complaint : " I looked for some to take pity, but there 
was none ; and for comforter, but I found none." Let not his people 
count it a strange thing, if they are betrayed or forsaken. It should 
remind them of the fellowship of his sufferings. 

But behold an instance of forgiving mercy and renewing grace : 
" And I will turn my hand upon the little ones." His disciples were 
little in the eyes of the world, and less in their own. They were few 
in number, and poor in condition. They were weak in faith and forti- 
tude* and were now dismayed and desponding. But he did not give 
them over unto death. He knew their frame ; he remembered that they 
were dust. As soon as he was risen from the dead, he appeared to 
them — not clothed in terror, but saying, "Peace be unto you." He 
exerted again the powerful influence of his Holy Spirit. He renewed 
them again unto repentance. He established their faith and hope. He 
gave them enlarged views, and fresh courage, so that they were ready 
to suffer and die for his name. 

Surely a bruised reed will he not break, and the smoking flax will 
he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his 
name shall the Gentiles trust. 



AUGUST 25. 

" thou that nearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come." Psa. 65 : 2. 

We have no claims upon God, and are not worthy of the least of 
all his mercies. It is therefore surprising that he should hear prayer at 
all. But he glories in it, and by nothing is he so much distinguished. 
He derives his fame, his character from it. "0 thou that nearest 
prayer." 

And we need not wonder at this, when we consider how constantly 
he has heard prayer, even ever since men began to call upon the name 
of the Lord ; and how many prayers he has heard. If we are to pray 
without ceasing, the prayers of one individual would be very numerous. 
What then is the aggregate multitude that has been offered by all the 
millions that ever sought his face ? And how largely he answers prayer. 
He gives grace and glory, and withholds no good thing pertaining to 
life and godliness. And how readily he answers prayer. " Before they 
call," says he, "I will answer ; and while they are yet speaking, I will 
hear." And how certainly he hears prayer. We have his promises, 
which are firmer than the earth and the heavens. It may not be easy 
to ascertain when or how he answers us as the God of our salvation ; 
but this we know, that he cannot deny us without denying himself. He 
cannot lie ; and he has said, " Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and 
ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you : for every one 
that asketh, receiveth ; and he that seeketh, findeth ; and to him that 
knocketh, it shall be opened." 



AUGUST 26. 405 

What should be the influence of this glorious truth, "Unto thee shall 
all flesh come ?" If these words had stood separately, we should have 
taken them as affirming that all flesh would come to him at the last day 
to be judged. But the reference is not to God on the judgment-seat, 
but on the mercy-seat ; and it is well that we can kneel at the latter, 
before we stand at the former. The meaning is, that men shall seek to 
him in prayer. And. not some, but many ; not many, but all. Surely 
here is nothing less than a prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles. Not 
only shall the seed of Jacob his chosen seek unto him, but those also 
that were strangers to the commonwealth of Israel, and without God in 
the world, crying only unto idols that could not save. The Jews, in lat- 
ter times, were carnal and selfish, and averse to the extension of their 
privileges ; but the more ancient and spiritual of their nation rejoiced 
in the prospect of it. And they had intimations from the beginning, 
that the Gentiles also should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and 
partakers of the promise of Christ by the gospel, "All nations whom 
thou hast made shall come and worship before thee." " My house shall 
be called the house of prayer for all people." 

If the practice here insured is to result from the character here 
expressed, the character must be known. " For how can they call upon 
him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe on 
him of whom they have not heard ?" Accordingly it is said, " From 
the rising of the sun, even unto the going down of the same, my name 
shall be great among the Gentiles ; and in every place incense shall be 
offered unto my name, and a pure offering." 

And to notice this more personally, we see of what importance it is 
to entertain encouraging. views of God. Confidence in his mercy and 
grace will alone draw us into his presence. And therefore the ground 
of this confidence must be firm and obvious. 

Much advantage also, upon this principle, must result from reviews 
of our own experience of his goodness. All success is animating, 
especially in prayer. " Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, there- 
fore will I call upon him as long as I live." 

Let me come to him among all those that are coming ; and let me 
come immediately, for there is a time when he will not hear prayer. 
"Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer ; they shall seek 
me early, but they shall not find me." 



AUGUST 26. 



"Yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving- 
kindness, and in mercies." Hose a 2:19. 

In the covenant of grace, there is God's part, and there is our part. 
But God, or it would never be accomplished, undertakes for the lat- 
ter as well as the former. He engages to do all that is necessary for 
his people, and in them. 

Here is the nature of the connection he will establish with them : " I 



406 MORNING EXERCISES. 

will betroth thee unto me." And the manner of it : " In righteousness, 
and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies.''- 

First, I will do it, says He, in righteousness. He is holy in all his 
ways, and righteous in all his works. But the soul that sinneth, it shall 
die. Righteousness, therefore, seems to require that he should punish 
them, rather than admit them into his favor. And awakened souls want 
to see a way in which God is just, as well as the justifier. And he has 
provided for this. He tells us in the gospel, that though sin is pardoned, 
it is also condemned ; and that though the transgressor escapes, the 
curse falls upon another, who, by bearing it himself, redeems us from it, 
and is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. 
The law therefore, instead of being injured, is magnified and made hon- 
orable, and even more glorified than it would have been by the destruc- 
tion of the sinner. In the sinner's destruction, justice would have been 
always satisfying, but never satisfied. Whereas the satisfaction was 
now completed at once, " by the one offering up of himself." Then also 
justice would only have been displayed passively, but now it is dis- 
played actively too. Then it would have been displayed only in them, 
but now it is also displayed by them. Then they would have hated and 
execrated it for ever ; now they love it, and delight to extol it. For 
righteousness here is not to be taken only for the way in which he 
makes the guilty just, but the way in which he makes the depraved holy. 
This comes from the same gracious agency, and is equally necessary 
with the former, as he could not admit them to communion with him- 
self while in a state of sin ; for " how can two walk together except they 
be agreed?" and "what fellowship hath righteousness with unright- 
eousness ?" 

Secondly, in judgment. The heathens placed Mercury, the god of 
wisdom, by the side of Yenus, the goddess of marriage ; and for good 
reason, since there is nothing in which judgment is so needful. Yet few 
things are entered upon with so little discretion and reflection. Hence 
the wretched consequences that ensue. "What can be expected from those 
hasty and thoughtless matches in which adaptation, age, temper, and 
even piety are all overlooked ? But the Lord is a God of knowledge ; 
he knows what he does, and why he does it. He has reasons which 
justify the measure to his own infinite understanding. Hence salvation 
is called his counsel ; in which also he is said to abound towards us in 
all wisdom and prudence. And this is true, not only as to the contriv- 
ing and procuring of it, but also as to the applying. The place, the 
time, the manner, the means of their conversion, will all evince, when 
known, that his work is perfect, and his ways judgment. We see but 
little of this now. Yet there are openings into it which carry the mind 
away in contemplation and surprise, and which assure us much more 
remains for our discovery and rapture in the world of light. This 
applies also to his people, as well as to God. Their choosing him and 
consenting to his gracious proposals will bear examination. It is wis- 
dom, and wisdom which is justified of all her children. The world may 



AUGUST 26. 407 

censure, but they are able to give a reason for the hope that is in them. 
The spiritual judgeth all things, though he himself is judged of no 
man. 

Thirdly, in loving-kindness. Without this, it were better for per- 
sons never to come together. The parties mutually need it, and need it 
daily. They should be filled with tenderness, to bear and sympathize 
with each other ; and the law of kindness should rule in all their looks, 
words, and actions. This is seldom wanting on the female side. Their 
love is not only more pure and disinterested, but more fervent and unde- 
clining, and better prepared to endure privations and sacrifices. Men 
are fond of power and authority, and therefore they are commanded — 
not to govern them, this they will do readily enough — but to love their 
wives, and not be bitter against them. God says to his church, " You 
shall find me full of tenderness and compassion. I know your frame, 
and remember that you are dust. I will pity your infirmities, and spare 
you. If I afflict, it shall not be willingly ; if I chide, I will not con- 
tend for ever. I will look to the heart, and judge you according to 
your meaning and your desires." It would seem strange to apply the 
exercise of this quality to them, as well as to him. Kindness towards 
God seems too low an expression, but he himself has sanctioned it. "I 
remember thee, the kindness of thy yo'uth, and the love of thine espou- 
sals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was 
not sown." Every thing they do for him, he takes kind at their hand ; 
and their ingenuous disposition will make them fearful of grieving his 
Holy Spirit, and anxious to walk " worthy of him unto all pleasing." 

Fourthly, in mercies. This is distinguishable from the former. 
That was the effect ; this, shows the cause, and it is mentioned in addi- 
tion to loving-kindness, to remind us that all we possess or expect 
springs solely from the free and undeserved grace of God ; and also to 
meet those discouragements to which we are always liable, from a sense 
of our unworthiness and ill-deservings. There is not a just man on 
earth that liveth and sinneth not. In many things we offend all. What 
humiliations must a Christian feel, when he reviews even his Sabbaths 
and holy communions ; and when he compares his proficiency with his 
obligations and advantages. But God will not cast away his people, 
but have mercy upon them according to the multitude of his tender 
mercies. This is children's bread ; and the children of God will not, 
cannot abuse it. Yea, the more they are persuaded of this truth, the 
more holy and cheerful and vigorous they will be in the performance of 
duty. Grass that grows in orchards, and under trees, is of a sour 
quality ; it wants the sun. Fruits that grow in the sun are richer and 
riper than those which grow in the shade. The best frame we can be 
in is to be upholden by a free spirit, and to act under a full sense of our 
divine privileges. Let us therefore sing of the mercy of the Lord for 
ever : and if he ever seems to have forgotten to be gracious, let us plead 
with him, and say, "Where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding 
of thy bowels, and of thy mercies towards me ? Are they restrained ?" 



- 



408 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Here again the import includes not only that we receive mercy, but 
exercise it — not towards him personally, this is impossible, and he needs 
it not ; but his creatures need it — his people need it. And what is done 
to them he will consider as done to himself. And what so just and 
proper as that they who are forgiven should forgive ; and that they 
who live by mercy should be merciful? 



AUGUST 27, 

" Heirs." Titus 3 : 1 



If we properly observe those who are Christians indeed, we shall 
find in them a peculiarity that distinguishes them from, and an impor- 
tance that ranks them above all other creatures. What an assemblage 
of qualities, excellencies, and advantages must they possess, to do any 
thing like justice to the various and numberless representations by 
which they are held forth to our view and admiration in the Scriptures 
of truth. Let me contemplate them under the character of heirs. 

As such we may consider them in the grandeur of their estate. A 
man may be heir to a cottage, or a large domain, or even a throne. 
But what is the inheritance of Christians? In one place they are 
called " heirs according^ to promise." In another, " heirs of the grace 
of life." In another, "heirs according to the hope of eternal life." In 
another, "heirs of salvation." In another, "heirs of the kingdom, 
which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." Paul prays 
that the Ephesians may be enlightened to know it ; and speaks of " the 
hope of their calling," and " the riches of the glory of his inheritance 
in the saints." The inheritance of the worldling, who has his portion 
in this life ; the inheritance of the Jew, in Canaan ; the inheritance of 
Adam, in paradise ; the inheritance of angels, in heaven, all come far 
short of the believer's expectation. At present, it cannot be fully either 
described or conceived. It doth not yet appear what we shall be. 

We may consider them in the solidity of their title. 

No person ever had a claim to an estate so clear and decisive as the 
Christian has to his inheritance. He may not, indeed, be certain of it 
in his own mind. There is a difference between a right, and the per- 
ception of it. An heir, by reason of his tender age, or infirmity, or 
disorder, may be unconscious of what awaits him. And Christians may 
be ignorant and fearful. They may condemn themselves, when God has 
justified them freely from all things ; and they may conclude that they 
have no part nor lot in the matter, while yet their title is as valid as 
the word and oath of God can make it. It is also perfectly insepara- 
ble from the birth that makes them new creatures, for they are born of 
God ; and "if children, then heirs ; and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ ;" 
and being one with him, their heirship is as undeniable as his. 

We may view them also in the certainty of their possession. An heir, 
who has had the clearest and fullest title to an estate, has yet never 



AUGUST 27. 409 

enjoyed it. To take possession of it, perhaps he had to cross the sea, and 
was wrecked. Or he travelled by land, and was murdered. Or in reach- 
ing maturity, he fell a prey to one of the many diseases to which hu- 
manity is liable. Or if he was preserved, the estate was destroyed ; for 
there is no place of security on earth. Or if the estate was not 
destroyed, it was vsurped, and by fraud and villany alienated from its 
lawful owner. How many figure away only in the rights of others. 
But what shall hinder the Christian from realizing his hope? His 
inheritance is incorruptible and undefiled, and fadeth not away, re- 
served in heaven for him, where danger never comes. And the heir is 
p safe as the estate, being " kept by the power of God, through faith, 
unto salvation. 77 

But observe these heirs in the circumstances of their minority. For 
there is a period of nonage ; and " the heir, as long as he is a child, 
differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all ; but is under 
tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 77 Before 
this season arrives, he must submit to many restraints not pleasant to 
his feelings, and the reasons for which he cannot fully appreciate. Yea, 
there may be cases in which he may even be constrained to borrow from 
a domestic or neighbor, who has none of his expectancy. And Chris- 
tians must not reckon that their present indulgences will equal their 
future reversions. They are now under a course of discipline, in which 
they must exercise self-denial, and appear less favored than many around 
them. But they rejoice in hope ; and not only so, but as the heir has 
something more from his estate than the prospect of it — as he has edu- 
cation and attendance becoming his rank, and remittances to enable 
him to live answerable to his destination ; so Christians have now sup- 
plies from their riches in glory, and are training up, under a divine 
Teacher, for the sublime spheres they are to fill ; and their ministering 
spirits do always behold the face of our heavenly Father. 

And what is the deportment that becomes these heirs ? It ought to be 
ennobled. Holiness is the true dignity of the soul, and sin its vilest 
degradation. They are therefore to "have no fellowship with the 
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 77 And Oh the 
infinite delicacy of the gospel — they are to "abstain from the very 
appearance of evil." It ought to be humble and grateful. They were, 
by nature, only children of wrath. If their relation is glorious, it is 
derived entirely from grace. There were difficulties in the way of their 
adoption, which God alone could remove. "I said. How shall I put 
thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heri- 
tage?' 7 But he removed these obstacles by the sacrifice of his own Son. 
and the renovation of his own Spirit ; and poor and vile as they were, 
he raised up the poor out of the dust, and lifted the needy from the 
dunghill, to set them with princes, even the princes of his people. It 
ought to be very cheerful and happy. 

"A hope so much divine, 
May trials well endure." 



410 MORNING EXERCISES. 

But so inferior are natural things to spiritual, that when the one are 
applied to the illustration of the other, they teach us as much by con- 
trast as by comparison. What then is the difference between these and 
earthly heirs ? In other cases the inheritance is diminished by the num- 
ber of coheirs. Here the multitude of partakers, instead of injuring, 
increases the blessedness of each possessor. In other cases the father 
dies before the child inherits. Here the father never dies. In other 
cases the heir by dying loses his inheritance. Here by dying he gains 
it ; it is then he comes of age. In other cases an estate passes from 
hand to hand. Here is no succession ; it is our heritage for ever. 
" This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord : and their righteous- 
ness is of me, saith the Lord." 



AUGUST 28, 



" Iniquities prevail against me : as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them 
away." Psa. 65:3. 

This is the language of complaint and of triumph. It was uttered 
by a Jew, but every Christian can make it his own. For as in water 
face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man, in every age and 
under every dispensation. 

As to the complaint, there are two ways in which iniquities may 
prevail against the Christian. The first is in the growing sense of his 
guilt. This may be occasioned by afflictions, which bring our sins to 
remembrance, or by any thing that increases self-knowledge, for this 
must always show us more of our unworthiness and depravity. Sup- 
pose a man in a dungeon abounding with noxious reptiles. While all 
is dark there, he sees none of them ; but as the light dawns, he begins 
to see them, and as the light increases, he sees more of them. The light 
seems to bring them and to multiply them ; but it only discovers what 
was there before. Some pray that God would show them all the cor- 
ruptions of their heart ; but this would probably drive them into dis- 
traction or despair. They could not bear the whole disclosure, espe- 
cially at first ; and therefore they are made sensible of them by little 
and little. 

The second is in the power of their acting. This prevalence cannot 
be entire, for sin shall not have dominion over them, but it may be oc- 
casional and partial. An enemy may make a temporary irruption, and 
do injury, though he may soon be expelled again. In a war, checks and 
discomfitures are not incompatible with general and final success, as we 
see in the history of the Romans. The Israelites were repulsed at Ai ; 
but they returned to the assault with more caution and wisdom, and 
succeeded. And thus, whatever advantages the foe may gain against 
Christians, the God of peace will bruise Satan under their feet shortly. 
David does not say, Iniquities prevail with me, but against me. As to 
many, they prevail with them. They drink in iniquity, as the ox drink- 
eth in water. They draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it 



AUGUST 28. 411 

were with a cart-rope. But a Christian is made willing in the day of 
God's power, and therefore can say, "To will is present with me; but 
how to perform that which is good, I find not. When I would do good, 
evil is present with me." Ahab is said to have sold himself to work 
wickedness. But it is otherwise with a poor slave in Africa. He is 
kidnapped or taken by force, and disposed of to some demon-trafficker 
in flesh and blood. He resists and weeps, but they prevail against him. 
And says Paul, I do not sell myself, but I am sold under sin. So then 
it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. wretched 
man that I am! who shall deliver me? Poison in a serpent never pro- 
duces sickness, but it does in a man ; it is natural to the one, but not to 
the other. Sin does not distress the sinner ; but it offends beyond every 
thing else the renewed mind. 

The words are broken and abrupt ; but when the church adds, " As 
for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away," they are assuredly 
the triumph of faith, after a plunge of distress and a pause of thought- 
fulness. There are two ways, according to the Scripture, in which God 
purges our transgressions, and they always go together. The one is by 
pardoning mercy. Thus David prays, "Purge me with hyssop, and I 
shall be clean : wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Hide thy 
face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities." Thus the blood of 
Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. And they that believe on him 
are justified from all things. 

The other is by sanctifying grace. " I will sprinkle clean water 
upon you, and ye shall be clean : from all your filthiness, and from all 
your idols will I cleanse you." And this is as much the work of God 
as the former. He subdues our iniquities as well as forgives them. He 
not only ordains peace for us, but works all our works in us. 

The Christian is persuaded of this gracious deliverance, and therefore 
expresses himself with confidence. And a foundation is laid for this 
confidence, and such a firm and scriptural foundation as that he may 
feel himself perfectly safe in the midst of danger. Under the deepest 
sense of his desert, he may joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 
by whom he has now received the atonement ; and with regard to all 
the conflicts of indwelling sin, he may take courage, and sing, "I shall 
not die, but live ; and declare the works of the Lord. 

" ' My spirit holds perpetual war, 
And wrestles and complains ; 
But views the happy moment near 
That shall dissolve its chains. 

Cheerful in death, I close my eyes, 

To part with every lust ; 
And charge my flesh, whene'er it rise, 

To leave them in the dust.'" 






412 MORNING EXERCISES. 

AUGUST 29. 

"So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." Gal. 3 : 9. 

The outward distinctions of life awaken the envy of some, and 
gender discontents in others. And yet how little depends upon them. 
All that is essential to the real welfare and chief happiness of man, lies 
open to all who choose to avail themselves of it. All cannot become 
scholars, but all may be made wise unto salvation. All cannot acquire 
wealth, but all may gain the unsearchable riches of Christ. All can- 
not walk upon the high places of the earth, but all may be great in 
the sight of the Lord. Abraham, the founder of the Jewish nation, was 
considered the most dignified and indulged of the human race ; yet 
every Christian, however poor and despised, stands related to this ex- 
traordinary character, and is blessed with him. " If ye be Christ's, then 
are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." " They 
which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." " So then 
they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." And how 
was he blessed ? 

He was justified. And blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, 
and whose sins are covered : blessed is the man to whom the Lord will 
not impute sin. For him there is no wrath to come, no sting in death, 
no curse in affliction. But came this blessedness upon Abraham only ? 
What saith the Scripture? " Abraham believed God, and it was counted 
unto him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, 
that it was imputed to him ; but for us also, to whom it shall be im- 
puted, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the 
dead ; who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our 
justification." So then they that be of faith are blessed with faithful 
Abraham, and are all authorized to say, " Therefore, being justified by 
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Abraham was called the friend of God, and was called so by God 
himself: "Thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the 
seed of Abraham my friend." If Eusebius held it such a privilege to 
be the friend of Pamphilius ; if Lord Brookes so gloried in the distinc- 
tion as to have it inscribed upon his tomb, "Here lies the friend of Sir 
Philip Sidney ;" what was the honor of Abraham in being acknowledged 
the friend of God ? Yet such honor have all the saints. They are not 
only pardoned, but admitted to intimacy. They walk with God. His 
secret is with them, and he shows them his covenant. In all their 
afflictions he is afflicted. He loveth at all times, and will never leave 
nor forsake them. "So then they which be of faith are blessed with 
faithful Abraham." 

Abraham was also blessed with usefulness. " I will bless thee," says 
God, " and make thee a blessing." This was done not only in the de- 
scent of the Messiah from him in whom all the families of the earth 
were to be blessed eventually, but by his prayers and instructions and 



AUGUST 29. 413 

example and exertions and influence, wherever he came. Thus also are 
all believers blessed. Not one of them is useless. They are disposed 
to do good, and their desire is gratified. They are qualified to do good, 
and as stewards of the manifold grace of God, they serve their genera- 
tion by his will. They are the salt of the earth, to preserve ; the light 
of the world, to inform ; and a dew from the Lord, and as showers upon 
the grass, to cool and refresh and revive and fertilize. " I will save 
you, and ye shall be a blessing." 

Abraham was divinely 'protected : and God said to him, " I am thy 
shield. 7 ' "I will bless him that blesseth thee; and I will curse him 
that curseth thee." He preserved him in his going out and coming in. 
He covered his head in the day of battle, when he rescued his kinsman 
Lot. He suffered no man to do him wrong ; yea, he reproved kings for 
his sake, saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophet no harm. 
And thus, though many rise up against believers, and they feel them- 
selves to be perfect weakness, their defence is of God, who saveth the 
upright of heart. He is their refuge and strength, a very present and 
all-sufficient help in trouble. They are kept by the power of God 
through faith unto salvation ; therefore they need not fear what their 
enemies can do unto them. . 

Abraham had not only a divine protection, but an infinite portim. 
I 1 am," says God, " not only thy shield, but thy exceeding great re- 
ward." This necessarily includes what God was to do for him beyond 
the grave. It could not have been fulfilled in this life. When we find 
him, a few years only after this assurance, sickening and dying, and 
laid in the cave of Machpelah, we are constrained to ask, Is this the 
reward, the great, the exceeding great reward, consisting, so to speak, 
of God himself? Ages after this, God said to Moses at the bush, I am^ — 
not I was — but I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. The 
relation therefore remained ; for " he is not the God of the dead, but of 
the living." They were then living as to their spirits, and would as 
certainly live as to their bodies in the resurrection, as if it had already 
taken place. Hence the reasoning of the apostle : " By faith he so- 
journed in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tab- 
ernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise ; 
for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and 
maker is God." " And truly, if they had been mindful of that country 
from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have 
returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly ; 
wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God ; for he hath pre- 
pared for them a city." Our Saviour also allowed him to be in glory, 
and even represented heaven by a union and intimacy with him : " The 
beggar died, and was carried by angels into Abraham's bosom." And 
nothing less than this is the glad and glorious destination of every 
believer. For they that be of faith are blessed with faithful Abra- 
ham. 

The grand inquiry therefore is, " Dost thou believe on the Son of 



4U MORNING EXERCISES. 

God ?" For we have access only by faith into this grace wherein we 
stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

For they that are not of faith are cursed with the faithless noble- 
man, to whom it was denounced, " Thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but 
thou shalt not taste of it," and " with the faithless Jews, whose carcasses 
fell in the wilderness, and who could not enter in because of unbelief," 
and " with hypocrites and unbelievers, where there is weeping, and wail- 
ing, and gnashing of teeth." 



AUGUST 30. 

" Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear." 1 Pet. 1 : 17. 

From these words I might consider the nature of the Christian life, 
which is a sojourning here, and also the time appointed for it. But let 
me rather reflect upon the manner in which I am to pass the one in ac- 
complishing the other: "Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear." 
This cannot intend every kind of fear, without making the Scripture 
inconsistent with itself ; for how often does it forbid fear. 

We must not therefore give way to apprehensions of any thing we 
may suffer from our fellow-creatures in following the path of duty. 
Here we should boldly say, " The Lord is my helper ; I will not fear 
what man can do unto me." " Fear not," says the Saviour — mentioning 
the extremest case — " Fear not them that kill the body, and after that 
have no more that they can do." And this Paul exemplified : " None of 
these things move me ; neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that 
I might finish my course with joy." When Peter and John were threat- 
ened if they spoke any more in the name of Jesus, they replied, We 
have nothing to do with consequences ; we cannot but speak the things 
which we have seen and heard : we ought to obey God rather than 
man, and he has commanded us to preach the gospel to every creature. 
So should it be with us. We are not indeed to run into sufferings for 
our religion, but we can never go on well in divine things till we are 
delivered from the fear of man that bringeth a snare. What is it but 
this that produces so many concealments and defections and inconsis- 
tencies in those who know what is right, and are excited by their con- 
victions, but have not courage enough to resolve and proceed? Perfect 
love casteth out this fear. 

We are equally to shun a distrustfulness of God's word. This fear 
is at once the most dishonorable to God and injurious to our own souls. 
It robs us of comfort, and lays open the mind to temptation, as we see 
in Abraham, who, in a moment of unbelief, prevaricated, and debased 
and exposed himself in Gerar. Having the assurance of God in any 
case, we should feel no uncertainty as to the result ; it must be accom- 
plished ; we have something firmer than the earth and the heavens to 
rely upon. But we may fear, not whether we shall perish in the way 
everlasting, but whether we are in it ; not whether the promise will 
fail, but whether we are heirs of the promise. This the apostle even 



AUGUST 30. 415 

admonishes : "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of en- 
tering into his rest, any of us should seem to come short of it." This is 
a case too important to be taken for granted. The consequences of 
mistake are remediless, and the possibility, yea, the probability of it is 
great. It will therefore be better to err rather on the side of solicitude 
than of security. 

A servile fear, too, is not to be cherished. This may indeed pre- 
cede something better ; but if our fear of God begins with the judge, it 
must end with the father. It argues a very low degree of religion when 
a man can only be held to duty like the slave, by the dread of the lash. 
We have not, says the apostle, received the spirit of bondage again to 
,fear, but the Spirit of adoption. The slave is converted into the child, 
and God spares him as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. 

But there is a proper and all-important fear which God has engaged 
to put into the hearts of his people, that they may not depart from him. 
It is a fear of respect and esteem and gratitude. It regards not only 
God's greatness, but his goodness. There is therefore nothing irksome 
in it. It is compatible with consolation and joy ; and the first Chris- 
tians walked in the fear of the Lord, and in the comforts of the Holy 
Ghost. It is in reality the same- with affection : it is the love which an 
inferior bears to a superior ; the love of a dutiful child to a parent, or 
of a good servant to a master, or of a thankful dependent to a benefac- 
tor. This shows itself much in a way of reverence and obedience and 
attention. Hence, the more I love God, the more I shall fear him, the 
more I shall dread to offend him, the more I shall study to please him, 
the more I shall ask, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? the more I 
shall pray, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my 
heart, be acceptable in thy sight, Lord, my strength, and my re- 
deemer." 

There is also a fear of caution in which it becomes us to live. This 
regards sin. Sin is the greatest evil to which we can be exposed. And 
we may see enough in the case of David to make even a good man stand 
in dread of it. For though God put away his sin, as to its future pen- 
alty, yet it was ever before him in the sufferings it occasioned. The 
sword never departed from his house. He was filled with the dread of 
divine abandonment. He was deprived of his peace and joy. His bones 
were broken, and his tongue was struck dumb. And a holy God will 
always cause the backslidings even of his own people to reprove them, 
and make them know that it is an evil and a bitter thing to sin against 
him. He will becloud their hope and destroy their comfort, and per- 
haps quarter troubles upon them for life. Reputation, which is the 
produce of years, may be ruined in a moment, and the effect of a thou- 
sand good actions may be lost by one evil deed. He who has be- 
friended religion may cause the way of truth to be evil spoken of, and 
become a judgment on the whole neighborhood in which he dwells. 

And are we in no danger of this ? Read the Scriptures. See the 
falls of good men, and men eminently good. Have not we a subtle and 



416 MORNING EXERCISES. 

active enemy always at hand? Have we not a wicked world without 
us? Have we not an evil heart within us? Owing to our remaining 
depravity, are we not liable to be ensnared by every thing we come in 
contact with, however harmless in itself? If we think caution unneces- 
sary, we have the greatest need of it ; for " pride goeth before destruc- 
tion, and a haughty spirit before a fall." Be not high-minded, but fear. 

If we would maintain this frame of mind, let us walk circumspectly, 
not as fools, but as wise. Let us not be anxious to rise in the world, 
and gain the affluence which will require a moral miracle to preserve 
us. "He that makes haste to be rich, shall not be innocent." "They 
that will be rich fall into temptation, and a snare, and into many foolish 
and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For 
the love of money is the root of all evil ; which while some coveted after, 
they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with 
many sorrows.'' 

Let us keep our mouth with a bridle. In a multitude of words there 
wanteth not sin. 

Let us not run into perils uncalled of God. We are only authorized 
to look for his protection when we are brought into them in the dis- 
charge of duty. And while we watch, let us also constantly pray, 
" Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe." " Blessed is the man that 



AUGUST 31. 

"I will betroth thee unto me for ever." Eosea 2 : 19. 

How well is it said of Christians, " Ye who sometime were afar off, 
are made nigh by the blood of Christ." They are not only pardoned, 
but employed in his service. They are not only reconciled, but admit- 
ted into friendship and intimacy. Yea, they are not only friends and 
favorites, but they are his bride : " I will betroth thee unto me." And 
observe the permanency of the relation : " I will betroth thee unto me 
for ever." 

" Permanency," says the poet, " adds bliss to bliss." How is every 
possession and enjoyment without it impaired in value. Yea, the more 
important any acquisition be, and the more necessary we feel it to our 
happiness, the more alive are we to apprehension of danger, the more 
averse are we to absence, the more painful is separation, the more intol- 
erable is the thought of loss. 

Yet to whatever we are attached here, do we not set our " hearts on 
that which is not ?" It is said the Jews, in their nuptial ceremony, 
always threw a glass upon the ground, to signify that the union then 
forming was as frail as the emblem was brittle. Without the figure, 
there is enough, if we are wise, to remind us of the fact ; and well does 
the apostle reason, when he says, " Brethren, the time is short ; it re- 
mains, therefore, that they who have wives be as though they had 



SEPTEMBER 1. 417 

We take eacli other " till death do us part." And the relation is 
terminated by death — not the death of both, but the death of either. 
What then is the tenure of the treasure ? What is our life ? It is 
even as a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth 
away. Has God given you a companion in the days of your vanity ? 
Rejoice ; but rejoice with trembling. Perhaps already the wife has 
been called to give up " the guide of her youth," or the husband, " the 
desire of his eyes," with whom they once took sweet counsel together, 
and walked to the house of God in company. 

But Christians can never be in a widowed state. They can never 
lose their defence, their glory, their joy. There is nothing precarious 
in the transactions of God with his people. " I know that whatsoever 
God doeth, it shall be for ever ; nothing can be put to it, and nothing 
can be taken from it." How delightful, in a world of changes, to know 
that He change th not, and therefore, that we shall not be consumed. 
Every thing seems reeling around me, and sinking beneath my feet, but 
I have hold of something firmer than the heavens and the earth. It is 
the word, the oath of eternal Faithfulness and Truth. " For the moun- 
tains shall depart, and the hills be removed ; but my kindness shall not 
depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, 
saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." " I will make an everlasting- 
covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them 
good ; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart 
from me." I have had many a persuasion which has failed me, because, 
though the confidence was strong, the foundation was weak. But here 
the full assurance of faith can never do justice to the certainty of the 
event. " I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor 
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor 
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us 
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 



SEPTEMBER 1. 

" The word of life." Phil. 2 : 16. 

This is a representation of the gospel, and it well deserves our no- 
tice. All life is valuable ; but there are several kinds of it rising above 
each other. There is vegetable life. This is superior to mere matter, 
as a tree is more excellent than a stone. There is animal life. This is 
superior to vegetable, as a bird excels a tree. There is rational life. 
This is superior to animal, as a man excels a bird ; for man was made 
a little lower only than the angels. " There is a spirit in man, and the 
inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understanding." Yet there is a 
life superior to rational. It is called the life of God, a life from which 
we are naturally alienated, but to which all the subjects of divine grace 
are restored by the Saviour, who came, not only that we might have 

Morn. Exer 27 



418 MORNING EXERCISES. 

life, but have it more abundantly. It will be completed in heaven, but 
it is begun here. The case is this. Man, by transgression, is dead in 
state, for cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written 
in the book of the law to do them. He is also dead in nature, or as the 
apostle expresses it, dead in trespasses and sins. But the Christian is 
passed from death unto life. He is no longer exposed to condemnation, 
for he is justified by faith, and has peace with God. And he is no 
longer under the power of moral death, for he is quickened, and made 
to walk in newness of life. "I compare/ 7 says he, "my present with 
my former experience. I was once dead to divine things, for they no 
more impressed me than sensible things affect a dead corpse. But now, 
for the very same reason, I hope I am alive, for these very things do 
affect me, do interest me, do excite in me hope and fear. I am suscep- 
tible of spiritual joy and sorrow. I live, for I breathe the breath of 
prayer. I feel the pulse of sacred passions ; I love and I hate. I have 
appetite, for I hunger and thirst after righteousness. I walk and I 
work, and though all my efforts 1 betray weakness, they evince life." 

But what will this life be when there shall be no more death ; when 
the body shall partake of the immortality of the soul ; when both shall 
be glorified together in a perpetual duration of knowledge, purity, 
friendship, riches, and glory? This is life eternal. 

Now the gospel is called the word of this life, and it has four rela- 
tions to it. A relation of discovery, for it reveals the reality and excel- 
lency of this life, the way in which it is obtained, the source from which 
it flows, and every particle of information we have concerning it. A re- 
lation of conveyance, for it communicates and produces this life. A rela- 
tion of support, for it is the means not only of begetting this life, but of 
maintaining and increasing it. Therefore it is considered as its food, 
adapted to all stages of its being : milk, if we are babes ; strong meat, 
if we are men. A relation of order ; it is the rule by which this life is 
governed as to doctrine, worship, experience, exertion. To this rule 
all our religion must be brought ; and as many as walk according to 
this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. 



SEPTEMBER 2. 
" Holding forth the word of life." Phil. 2 : 16. 

The apostles did this supernaturally. They received their commis- 
sion immediately from God, and were preserved from all mistakes in 
delivering his counsel, and could work miracles in confirmation and in 
defence of it. 

Ministers do this officially. They pretend to no original communi- 
cations from God, no new discoveries ; they derive what they publish 
from the Scriptures, and they call upon you to prove whether these 
things are so. Yet their preaching is a divine ordinance, a work which 
an angel might covet, the simple design of which is to hold forth the 
word of life. 



SEPTEMBER 2. 419 

But there are many ways of doing this common to all Christians. 
And they are the persons the apostle here addresses. They may hold it 
forth by their profession. This is not to be considered as a substitute 
for experience, but as flowing from it. Experience is a secret thing 
between God and their own souls, but their religion is to be visible as 
well as real. They that are in darkness are to show themselves ; and 
we are. to confess with the mouth as well as to believe with the heart 
unto salvation. They may hold it forth by example. This must evince 
the sincerity, and conduce to the efficacy of your profession. You are 
required to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, 
and to constrain others, by your good works which they behold, to 
glorify God in the day of visitation. Nothing is so eloquent as the 
silence of a holy, consistent, and a lovely life. Actions speak louder 
than words, and by these you can cause the way of truth to be evil 
spoken of, or adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. It 
is thus all can be "holders forth," whatever be their condition, and 
without leaving their place and station. This is the way in which ser- 
vants are to preach to their masters and mistresses, and children to 
their parents. Indeed, with regard to all of us, 

•' Thus shall we best proclaim aloud 
The honors of our Saviour God ; 
When the salvation reigns within, 
And grace subdues the power of sin." 

This is not, however, to hinder express exertions. By these, when the 
life is in accordance with them, much may be often done. There are 
few so situated and limited as not to have some opportunities and influ- 
ences by which they may ,be useful, and in a much greater degree than 
they are aware of, if they will seize them with simplicity and diligence 
and prayer. The talents of men are various ; but the servant who has 
only one talent will be condemned if he wraps it up in a napkin. "When 
we cannot do much individually, we can do something by joining with 
others, and recommending and aiding those institutions which aim at 
the diffusion of the cause of Christ. We cannot translate the Scrip- 
tures into other tongues, but we can circulate them. We are not at 
liberty to go abroad ourselves, but we can be fellow-helpers to the 
truth by contributing to missions. Silver and gold we have none, but 
we can apply to those who have. We are not donors, but we can be 
collectors. 

What should induce us to hold forth the word of life? Interest. 
The regard we pay to the gospel will bless ourselves ; for, like its 
Author, it says, Them that honor me I will honor. We seldom labor 
in vain in this work; but if our efforts should prove successless, in 
some way or other they will return into our own bosom. The most 
respected and the most happy Christians are the unselfish, the active, 
the fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. 

Benevolence. The gospel is not only wonderful, but all-important. 
It is the gospel of our salvation. It is the bread, the water of life. 



420 MORNING EXERCISES. 

For dying souls it is the only remedy. It has done more already for 
even the public welfare of nations than all the civil institutions of men, 
and by this alone will the wilderness and solitary place be made glad, 
and the desert rejoice and blossom as the rose. 

Piety. It is thus God's perfections are displayed. It is thus his 
enemies are to be diminished, and his subjects increased. It is thus his 
kingdom comes. And what claims has he not upon us for our service? 
Whose are we ? Who bought us with a price ? 

Our relation in the church. Why have we joined ourselves to a 
religious society, and placed ourselves under the ministry of the word? 
Is it only to commune together in privilege ? Is it not also to cooper- 
ate together in usefulness ? 



SEPTEMBER 3. 

"Speak, Lord ; for thy servant heareth." 1 Sam. 3 : 9. 

This shows a temper of mind which we should feel on every occa- 
sion. But what does He say to us now we are leaving home for a sea- 
son, and shall in a peculiar sense be for a while strangers and pilgrims 
on earth ? 

He requires us in this excursion to look to our motives. Surely sin 
is out of the question. What a dreadful thing would it be to go from 
home to get opportunities to commit iniquity without clanger of obser- 
vation and discovery. To such it might well be said, This journey shall 
not be for thine honor. But the object is lawful if it be business ; if it 
be friendship ; if it be relative affection ; if it be health ; if it be recre- 
ation within proper bounds, and with a view to prepare for future 
application. 

He requires us to move in a dependence on his providence. The 
way of man is not in himself ; it is not in man that walketh to direct 
his steps. In his hand our breath is, and his are all our ways. There 
are many who live without God in the world. James describes the 
presumption of such an individual in the thought of a journey and a 
project : " Go to now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into 
such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain : 
whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your 
life ? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then van- 
isheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, 
and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings : all such 
rejoicing is evil." Paul speaks of a prosperous journey, by the will of 
God. Nothing can be done without his permission and blessing. He 
can set every thing against us, or make every thing conduce to our 
profit. He can spread a gloom over the fairest scenes of nature, or he 
can comfort us on every side. The elements are his. He preserveth 
man and beast. Let us remember our entire reliance upon him, and 
hear him at this moment saying, " Commit thy way unto the Lord ; trust 
also in him, and he shall bring it to pass." 



SEPTEMBER 3. 421 

He requires that, wherever we go, we should maintain the consist- 
enc} r of our character. This does not forbid the exercise of prudence. 
We are even commanded to be wise as serpents, as well as harmless as 
doves ; and to walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise ; and espe- 
cially to walk in wisdom towards them that are without. But this does 
not require the surrender of principle, nor even the concealment of it. 
We are not to be ashamed of the Saviour and of his words, but confess 
him before men. If we become all things to all men, it must be in 
things sinless and indifferent. If we please our neighbor, it must be 
for his good to edification. If we yield, and " trim our way," and act 
unbecoming our profession, we shall not only lose the benefit of reprov- 
ing, convincing, and impressing others by a practical testimony, but 
procure for ourselves contempt, instead of esteem. For those who un- 
derstand not our experience can comprehend our duty, and those who 
do not admire piety despise inconsistency. 

He therefore requires us to seize and to seek opportunities of use- 
fulness. All cannot act in the same way. Our stations and abilities 
differ, and we are not to suffer our good to be evil spoken of. But let 
us beware of indecision and excuse. "He that observeth the wind, 
shall not sow ; and he that regardeth the clouds, shall not reap." Who 
may not be a blessing in every place in which he is found? Who can 
tell the influence, immediate or remote, of a proper and lovely example ; 
of a word fitly spoken ; of a book lent, or a tract given ; of a wise and 
moral distribution of alms ? " In the morning sow thy seed, and in the 
evening withhold not thy hand ; for thou knowest not whether shall 
prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good." 
Let us never think any of our possessions or endowments our own. 
They are talents ; and " as every man hath received the gift, even so 
let us minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the mani- 
fold grace of God." Many of our opportunities are already gone, and 
they are gone for ever. How many remain we know not, but they are 
few and uncertain. Let us awake, and resemble him who went about 
doing good, and who said, ' : I must work the works of him that sent 
me while it is day : the night cometh, when no man can work." 

He requires that we should not be careless and inattentive observ- 
ers of his works. The works of the Lord are great in number and in 
quality, and are sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. And 
remember, says Elihu, that thou magnify his works, which men beh.0 1 
" r e can see them everywhere; but as we move from one place to 
other, we perceive them in greater variety. And when, from an inlana 
situation, we reach the watery world, we behold his wonders in the 
deep. The sea is his, and he made it, and with all its immensity, holds 
it in the hollow of his hand. What wisdom do we recognize in the sa- 
lineness of the fluid, and in the ebbing and flowing of the tide. What 
power appears in raising and in calming the billows, and in giving to the 
sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandments, say- 
ing, Hitherto shalt thou come, and no farther ; and here shall thy proud 



422 MORNING EXERCISES. 

waves be stayed. And we should observe his works, not only as ob- 
jects of curiosity and wonder, but as excitements to admiration and 
praise. We should regard them, not as naturalists and philosophers, 
but with the views and feelings of Christians. 

He requires that we should find in all we see confirmations of our 
faith in his word. The Scripture tells us of the flood by which the un- 
godly world was destroyed, and the earth convulsed and torn. And 
what indications of this awful catastrophe do we often meet with. The 
Scripture tells us, that though God made man upright, he sought out 
many inventions, and that we are gone astray ; there is none righteous, 
no, not one. And where can we go and not discern this ? " While the 
earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer 
and winter, and day and night, shall not cease." And in the succession 
of the seasons we see this pledge redeemed. He is good to all, and his 
tender mercies are over all his works ; and we have but to open our 
eyes, and we see him opening his hand, and satisfying the desires of 
every living thing. 

He requires that, in our progress and our return, we should be 
thankful. And how much is there to awaken our gratitude. That we 
have not only been supplied and supported, but have had so many agree- 
able prospects and entertainments and changes ; that we have been pre- 
served in our going out and our coming in ; that we have been secured 
from wicked and unreasonable men ; that no accident has spilt our life 
upon the ground or bruised a limb of our body ; that our property has 
been secured as well as our persons and health ; that no plague has 
come nigh our dwelling, and that we know also that our tabernacle is 
in peace. Bless the Lord, our souls ; and all that is within us, bless 
his holy name ! 

He requires that we should realize life itself only as a journey, and 
think of getting home. "We are but strangers and sojourners here, as 
were all our fathers. There is none abiding. " Lord, make me to know 
mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is ; that I may know 
how frail I am." "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply 
our hearts unto wisdom." 



SEPTEMBER 4. 

"Peace I leave with you." John 14 : 27. 

We know whose words these are. And who was ever so qualified 
and authorized to speak of peace as he? He is called the Prince of 
peace. His ministers are the messengers of peace. His word is the 
gospel of peace. His way is the path of peace. An angel announced 
peace at his birth ; and he himself bequeathed peace at his death : 
"Peace I leave with you." 

Eor we may consider the words, so to speak, as a part of his last 
will and testament. Lands, and houses, and goods, and silver, and 
gold, he had none to leave. But such as he had he disposed of in the 
form and manner following ; that is to say, his soul to God : " Father, 



SEPTEMBER 5. 423 

into thy hand I commit my spirit." His body to the envy and malice 
of his enemies, to be buffeted and scourged and crucified. His wearing- 
apparel to the soldiers, who divided his garments among them, and for 
his vesture cast lots. His widowed mother to the care of John, who 
from that hour took her unto his own home. But what had his disci- 
ples all this time? Has he forgotten them? No ; "Peace I leave with 
you." 

But why does he bestow it upon them in a way of legacy ? First, 
to make it the dearer. They would thus prize this boon. It was the 
remembrance of their dying Lord and Saviour. Any thing left us by 
a dying friend, if it be only a book or a ring, is esteemed and valued. 
Secondly, to render it the surer. If it be but a man's testament, yet if 
it be confirmed, no man can disannul it. But here every thing concurs 
to establish confidence. The will is written, witnessed, and sealed. 
And the testator dies ; for a testament is of no force while the testator 
liveth. And the executor is true and honest, and will see all punctually 
fulfilled ; this is the Holy Ghost, which is to glorify him by taking of 
his and showing it unto them. 

This bestowment was much more than they deserved. They had 
always been dull scholars, and sadly repaid the labors he had expended 
upon them. They had been very defective servants, and only a few 
hours before had been disputing among themselves which of them 
should be the greatest. And now, as his sufferings drew near, instead 
of showing themselves his sympathizing friends, they were all going to 
forsake him and flee ; yet " loving his own who were in the world, he 
loved them unto the end." 

" Happy disciples, to be thus remembered, honored, and enriched I" 
you are ready to exclaim. "How we envy you!" But these words 
were not to be confined to them. They were personally to enjoy the 
privilege, and they were immediately addressed ; but in receiving this 
assurance, they stood as the representatives of all his people to the end 
of time. And you, even you, if you love and follow him, are as much 
included in the bequeathment as if you were mentioned by name. Wit- 
ness his following intercession : " Neither pray I for these alone, but for 
them also which shall believe on me through their word, that they all 
may be one ; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also 
may be one in us : that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 
And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them ; that they may 
be one, even as we are one." 



SEPTEMBER 5. 

"I will strengthen them in the Lord." Zech. 10 : 12. 
This is the very assurance our hearts want, as we think of our- 
selves and survey the duties and trials of the Christian life. And we 
cannot too confidently rely on the accomplishment of it, for it comes 
from the lips of faithfulness and truth. But we may err as to the man- 



424 MORXIXG EXERCISES. 

ner in which it is to be fulfilled, and therefore our expectation is to be 
regulated and qualified accordingly. 

Let me observe, then, that the fulfilment of the promise, as long as 
we are here, will not exempt us from all ground of complaint. It will 
help us in our work, but not cause us to cease from our labor. It se- 
cures us assistance in our conflict, but the war lasts for life. However 
strong our faith, and firm our hope, and long-suffering unto all joyful- 
ness our patience, we shall still be sensible, and the more sensible too, 
of resistance, deficiency, defilement ; and still acknowledge that when 
we would do good, evil is present with us, and groan, " wretched man 
that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" 

This impartation of strength will also be seasonable, and propor- 
tioned to the exigencies of our condition. "As thy days, so shall thy 
strength be." What we are to look for is, not grace for imaginary pur- 
poses, but for real ; not grace for future difficulties, but present ; or as 
the apostle has it, grace to "help in time of need." It does not there- 
fore follow that what is formidable in the prospect, may be so in the 
event. You may fear death while living, and rejoice in it at last. "Is 
this,"'' said Dr. Goodwin, "Is this dying? Is this the enemy that dis- 
mayed me so long, now appearing so harmless, and even pleasant?" 

These supplies of strength are to be sought after, and expected in 
God's own way ; that is, in the use of the means which he has or- 
dained. . So his word deals with our hope. "Draw nigh to God, and 
he will draw nigh to you." "Blessed is the man that heareth me, 
watching daily at my gates, and waiting at the posts of my doors." 
" He giveth power to the faint ; and to them that have no might he in- 
creaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the 
young men shall utterly fall ; but they that wait upon the Lord shall 
renew their strength ; they shall mount up with wings as eagles ; they 
shall run. and not be weary ; and they shall walk, and not faint." 

And have I not found it so ? In the day when I cried, has he not 
answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul ? Have I 
not kneeled down with a contracted, and risen up with an enlarged 
heart? When I have read his word, hath he not thereby quickened 
me ? Have I not found him in his palaces, for a refuge ? Has he not 
sent me help from the sanctuary, and strengthened me out of Zion? 

How foolish, then, to avoid religious exercises when I am not in a 
proper and spiritual and lively frame. The means of grace are surely 
then the most necessary ; as fire is the most needful when we are cold, 
and excitement when we are most dull. 

It is only a part of the truth, that we are to pray with the Spirit ; we 
are also to pray for it. Witness the language of the Saviour : " If ye, 
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children ; how 
how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to 
them that ask him?" Witness the example of the church : " Awake, 
north wind ; and come, thou south ; blow upon my garden, that the 
spices thereof may flow out." 



SEPTEMBER 6. 425 



SEPTEMBER 6. 



" He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness ; he led him 
about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye." Deut. 32 :10. 

And will not this apply, Christian, to thee, as well as to Israel? 

Will not the finding ? "He found him in a desert land, in a waste 
howling wilderness." And where did he find you? What was your 
natural state ? What was the world lying in wickedness ? What was 
the earth as filled, from the effects of sin, with vanity and vexation of 
spirit? There, not you found Him, but he found you. To His name 
give glory, for the mercy and the truth's sake. You did indeed find him, 
but how ? ; 'I am found of them that sought me not ; I am sought of 
them that asked not for me." You did choose him ; but as the cause 
or consequence of his choice? "Ye have not chosen me, but I have 
chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, 
and that } 7 our fruit should remain." Who can refuse to acknowledge, 
" We love him, because he first loved us V 1 

Will not the leading? "He led them about." There was no road, 
and much depended upon their movements. He therefore became their 
conductc.r. And we know how he did this : it was by a fiery cloudy 
pillar. As this advanced, they removed ; as this turned to the right or 
the left, they turned also ; as this paused, they remained. Thus they 
were freed from all anxiety. The distance they had to go was not great 
in itself. Jacob's sons, with their asses, soon passed and repassed 
between Egypt and Canaan. And the Israelites quickly reached Ka- 
desh-barnea, which was not far from Jordan ; but they were turned back. 
And if you consult a map, and observe their winding marches, you will 
see the propriety of the expression, He led them about. And has he 
not thus led you ? You knew that the way of man is not in himself. 
You cried unto the Lord, and said, Lead me in thy truth, and guide 
me ; for thou art the God of my salvation, on thee do I wait all the day. 
And he said, " I will lead thee and guide thee, and instruct thee with 
mine eye." And has he ever abandoned you ? What mistakes has he 
prevented. How often has he hedged up your path, to keep you from 
going astray. From how many embarrassments, the effect of your act- 
ing without him, has he extricated you. He has always led you in the 
right way ; but it has often been a trying one, and such as you could 
not have foreseen or conjectured. In your temporal affairs he has per- 
haps checked you, and turned you back ; you have had life to begin 
again, and to seek other openings and labors. And as to your spiritual 
experience, instead of gaining more of the assurance of hope, doubts 
and fears have invaded you : and instead of victory over your enemies, 
you have been led to see and feel more of the evil of your hearts ; while 
you have often asked, If I am his, why am I thus? Yet all this has ful- 
filled the promise, " I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not ; 
I will lead them in paths that they have not known : I will make dark- 









426 MORNING EXERCISES. 

ness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will 
I do unto them, and not forsake them." 

Will not the "teaching?" "He instructed them." They had the 
finest opportunities in the world to learn, cut off as they were from 
intercourse with the surrounding nations, and being alone, with God as 
their preceptor. When at Horeb, they sat down at his feet and received 
of his words. He gave them laws and ordinances. He sent them 
Moses and Aaron and Miriam. He taught them much by events pleas- 
ing and painful. He showed them in example the evil of sin, the hap- 
piness of obedience. Yea, he gave them his good Spirit, says Nehemiah, 
to instruct them. And has he not instructed you? If you have been 
unprofitable learners, the fault has been your own. You have had every 
thing favorable in your situation. A thousand resources of information 
have opened around' you. You have the Scriptures, the preaching of 
the word, Christian intercourse, and the unction from the Holy One, 
which teaches us all things. Every thing that has befallen you has 
read you lessons. Some things you must have learned, that this is not 
your rest, the folly of trusting in your own hearts, the greatness of your 
unworthiness, and that it is of the Lord's mercies you are not con- 
sumed. 

Will not the protection? "He kept them as the apple of his eye," 
the tenderest part of the tenderest member. Did the serpents bite 
them? he provided a remedy, and healed them. Did enemies assail 
them? it was not with impunity. "He reproved kings for their sakes, 
saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm." Ama- 
lek, Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, found, to 
their peril, that he made their cause his own. Did Balaam use divina- 
tion and enchantment? he owned there was no enchantment against 
Jacob, nor divination against Israel. He cursed them, but the curse 
was turned into a blessing. In travelling, were they exposed to the 
sun? the Lord was their shade on their right hand. He preserved 
them in their going out, and in their coming in ; they were a people 
saved of the Lord. And who has kindly, tenderly, constantly kept 
you? Have you had no enemies? Why have you not been a prey to 
their teeth ? Why has not your heart turned back ? Why have not 
your steps declined from his ways ? He has holden you up. You have 
been kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation. 

This is what he has done for you. 

What have you done for him ? What are you doing ? What do you 
resolve to do ? 



SEPTEMBER 7. 

"The word of the Lord that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of 
Uzziah, Jothara, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the 
son of Joash, king of Israel." Hosea 1:1. 

We are not informed whether he had been trained up for the holy 
office, or been called in a manner sudden and unlooked for. ' Some of 



SEPTEMBER 1 427 

the prophets were taken at once from following their common occupa- 
tions, as we see in tire instances of Elisha and Amos. Others were 
taken, and this was more generally the case, from the schools of the 
prophets ; where, by retirement and prayer and meditation and instruc- 
tion, they were gradually prepared to minister in holy things. Thus 
God .both sanctified the use of means, and showed that he was not con- 
fined to them. It is the same now. Some of the most pious, eminent, 
and useful ministers the churches ever possessed have been educated 
for the purpose ; and we ought to be thankful for such institutions ; and 
on these, for our spiritual supplies, we must -principally depend. But we 
must not limit the Holy One of Israel. He will sometimes take a man 
out of our rules, and give him acceptance and success. And we must 
receive a Bunyan as well as an Owen. When will persons allow God 
to work in his own way, and learn that, because one thing is right, 
another need not be wrong? 

But Hosea was divinely commissioned : " The word of the Lord came 
unto him." " For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man ; 
but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 
And they could demand attention in the name of Him who sent them : 
" Thus saith the Lord." 

His descent is also remarked. He was " the son of Beeri." The 
Jews have a rule, that the prophet whose father is named was the son 
of a prophet. But this does not always hold. Nothing is recorded of 
Beeri. Yet it is reasonably concluded that unless he had been a man 
of some distinction, and from whom Hosea derived honor, he would not 
have been mentioned. And this he might have been, without possess- 
ing worldly rank and riches. The righteous is more excellent than 
his neighbor. He is happily and nobly descended who springs from 
those who are great in the sight of the Lord . He may well exult and 

say, 

" My boast is, not that I deduce ray birth 
From loins enthroned, and rulers of the earth; 
But higher far my proud pretensions rise — 
The son of parents passed into the skies." 

Let us so live as that our children may derive from us advantage and 
respect. 

But the principal thing is the time of his ministration : " In the days 
of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the 
days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel." Now if he 
prophesied only from the end of Jeroboam's reign^ the son of Joash, to 
the beginning of Hezekiah's, it would have been near seventy years. 
But he prophesied in the reign of both. And if we allow him a few 
years in each of these, and reckon up the length of the reigns between, 
his ministry must have been little short of eighty years ; and it was 
probably even more. And five things may be observed from hence. 

First, how very little we have of his prophesyings. Fourteen short 
chapters, read in much less time than a modern sermon, include all that 



428 MORNING EXERCISES. 

has been perpetuated of far the longest ministry on record. Some labor 
for posterity, and leave behind them works which will render them a 
blessing to future ages. Others are called more to serve their own 
generation, by the will of God, and are preachers rather than writers. 
How useful was Whitefield as a preacher, while his few writings have 
had little circulation, and serve rather to excite wonder that he was so 
powerful in another capacity. How useful has Hervey been as a writer, 
while his preaching was without excitement, and scarcely distinguished 
by any effect. Some, like Doddridge, have excelled both in the pulpit 
and from the press. Every servant of God has his peculiar gifts, and 
his appropriate sphere. "Even so, Father ; for so it seemeth good in 
thy sight." 

Secondly, he must have begun his ministry very young. Paul for- 
bids the ordination of a novice, lest he should be lifted up with pride. 
Talent is not all that is necessary for the sacred office. How necessary 
is the knowledge that is derived from experience, and the confidence 
that grows out of the trial of character. Thirty was the age for enter- 
ing on the Levitical service. And not earlier than this period did John 
and Jesus commence their public ministry. But " the word of God is 
not bound." Timothy was young, so young that Paul was obliged to 
say, " Let no man despise thy youth." Samuel was employed while yet 
a child. Jeremiah was consecrated from the womb. And this was 
nearly the case with Hosea. What a privilege, what an honor to be 
early dedicated to the service of God ! " I remember thee, the kindness 
of thy youth." 

Thirdly, he must have been very old before he retired from labor. 
Some do not resign early enough, but stand about as a hinderance in 
the way of usefulness. The excellent Cornelius Winter often prayed 
to be preserved from this error. Indeed, few can sit well, and say of 
a successor, with proper feelings, "I must decrease, but he must in- 
crease.'" 7 Others resign too soon. They would retire upon a pension 
before they are disabled in the holy war. A minister may want the 
sprightliness and vigor of youth, and yet have the ripeness and richness 
of age, and the fruit may drop without much hard shaking. Some nobly 
fall at their post, sword in hand, faithful unto death, and with the 
crown of life, obtain the commendation, " Thou hast labored, and hast 
not fainted." 

Fourthly, he must have passed through a vast variety of condition. 
He lived in the reign of one good king and of four bad ones. He saw 
peace, and much war. He saw plenty, and, more than once, scarceness 
and famine. He saw a few partial revivals of religion, but witnessed 
general and constant wickedness. How many of his relations, friends, 
and pious connections had fallen! How lonely must he have felt! How 
changed his views ! How convinced must he have been that all below 
is vanity and vexation of spirit, while yet God was the strength of his 
heart, and his portion for ever. How much he knew of what was doing 
in other countries, we cannot determine. But within the compass of his 



SEPTEMBER 8. 429 

ministry lived Lycurgus, the famous Lacedemonian legislator, and He- 
siod, the Greek poet. Rome also was now begun. 

Finally, a man of God may labor long and do very little good. The 
people he addressed not only continued wicked, but waxed worse" and 
worse ; and the captivity he had threatened he lived to see commenced. 
He certainly saw a part of Israel carried away captive by Tiglath-Pile- 
ser, and probably the entire destruction of the kingdom of the ten tribes 
by Salmanezer. This must have been very painful. But it did not 
slacken his efforts. We are not answerable for our success. If Ave lose 
our labor, we shall not lose our reward. A greater than all said, "I 
have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught, and in vain ; 
yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God." 



SEPTEMBER 



"Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering?" 
Rom. 2:4. 

One of the ways in which God addresses us in his word is expostu- 
lation. To expostulate is to accuse before an open rupture. It is the 
lingering of friendship, offended indeed, but unwilling to abandon its 
object without farther trial. It is anger blended with kindness ; it is 
chiding accompanied with entreaty. This is a very pleasing view of 
the Supreme Being, and induces us to exclaim, Lord, what is man, that 
thou art mindful of him; or the son of man, that thou visitest him?. By 
the transgression of his law we reduced ourselves to ruin. He remem- 
bered, us in our low estate, and provided for our deliverance. The 
blessing is placed before us and within our reach. But we disregard 
it, and contemn the Saviour as well as the Ruler. Thus we deserve 
that his wrath should come upon us. Yet before he pronounces sen- 
tence, he sends for us into his presence, and reasons with us, that, being 
unable to defend our conduct, we may acknowledge by our silence that 
we have acted a part that leaves us without excuse and without hope. 
" Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long- 
suffering ?" 

The apostle speaks of " the riches of his goodness." These riches 
appear in numberless displays. But he adds, "and forbearance and 
long-suffering, 77 to induce us to consider the latter as the proof of the 
former. 

To see, then, the riches of his goodness, let us contemplate his for- 
bearance and long-suffering. Every thing in God enhances his pa- 
tience. 

His greatness enhances it. We are more affected with an affront 
from an equal than* from a superior, and more from an inferior than 
from an equal. How does the master resent an offence from his slave, 
or a king from a subject ? All comparison fails between God and us. 
He is the maker of all things, and all nations before him are as nothing. 



430 MORNING EXERCISES. 

This is the Being insulted. And who is the offender? A grovelling 
worm upon a dunghill. And yet he bears with us. 

His wisdom enhances it. We cannot be affected with affronts of 
which we are ignorant. How would some be enraged if they knew 
only what is said of them by some of their " dear five hundred friends," 
how they turn them into ridicule before they have well left their house, 
and what freedoms they take with their character and their conduct in 
almost every company. None of our offences are secret from God. 
He hears all, sees all, and knows perfectly every imagination of the 
thoughts of our heart. And yet he bears with us. 

His holiness enhances it. If we do not think and feel a thing to be 
an affront, there is no virtue, for there is no difficulty in enduring if. 
The trial is when it touches us to the quick in some most valued inter- 
est. Sin is exceedingly sinful. By nothing does God. deem himself so 
dishonored. He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. It is the 
abominable thing which his soul hates. And yet he bears with us. 

His power enhances it. Why do we put up with a thousand wrongs ? 
We know them and feel them, but we reluctantly submit, because we 
have no way to punish them. Why are not sinners destroyed ? Moses, 
when he had provoked the Egyptians, saved himself by flight. But 
whither can we go from God's presence, or flee from his Spirit ? Some, 
when they have provoked resentment, have defied it, and successfully 
too. But who ever hardened himself against God, and prospered? 
His look is death. And yet he bears with us. 

His bounty enhances it. We complain peculiarly of an injury or 
an insult from one who is much indebted to us. From another we 
say we could have borne it, but he is viler than the brute ; for the ox 
knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib. We are under infi- 
nite obligations to the God we provoke. In him we have lived and 
moved and had our being. His table has fed us, his wardrobe has 
clothed us, his sun has warmed us. And this is not all. His kindness 
continues, notwithstanding all our ingratitude. And he not only spares 
us, but in every way indulges us. He waits to be gracious, and is ex- 
alted to have mercy upon us. 

Yet are these riches of his goodness " despised " — despised by incon- 
sideration. We treat them as unworthy of our notice. They do not oc- 
cupy our thoughts or our words. Despised by disobedience. We resist 
their design, which is to lead us to repentance. God calls, but we will 
not answer. He knocks, but we refuse to open. Who is the Lord, 
that we should obey his voice ? Despised by perversion. We turn them 
into instruments of rebellion, and make them the very means of increas- 
ing our impenitency. If we thought God would destroy us the next 
sin we committed, it would not be committed ; but since he is too kind 
to do this, we are induced to offend him. We are evil because he is 
good. 

How unreasonable is this contempt! How vile; how shameful ! If 
an individual was to behave towards a fellow-creature as men are con- 



SEPTEMBER 9. 431 

tinually acting towards the blessed God, no one could notice him but 
with astonishment and contempt. Yet we talk of the dignity of human 
nature, or contend that it is but slightly injured by the fall. 

And how dangerous, how ruinous is this contempt ! It is true, God 
is merciful and gracious. But he will by no means spare the guilty. 
Nothing equals the penalty of the gospel ; it is the savor of death unto 
death. 



SEPTEMBER 9. 

" They joy before thee according to the joy in harvest." Isaiah 9 : 3. 

Three circumstances are here mentioned : they joy; they joy before 
thee ; they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest. Each of these 
will supply an interesting and useful meditation. 

They joy. 

Among the many mistakes entertained concerning religion, no one 
is more common than the notion that it prescribes a forced, gloomy, 
melancholy course, engaged in which we must bid adieu to every thing 
like pleasure. And nothing can be more injurious than this notion, for 
men will naturally turn from religion while they view it as the enemy 
of their happiness. But nothing is so unfounded and false as this opin- 
ion. Let us take it to three tribunals. 

Let us bring it to the bar of reason. It must be allowed that God 
is able to make us happy or miserable. And if so. is it likely that he 
will suffer those who hate and oppose him to be happy, and those who 
love and try to please him to be miserable ? What a notion of the 
Supreme Being would this imply. And what could equally blaspheme 
his character ? And has a hope that my sins are pardoned ; that God 
is my Father ; that Providence is my guide ; that death is my friend, 
and that heaven is my portion, a tendency to inspire me with sadness, 
or with joy ? And which is most adapted to make me wretched or com- 
fortable within ; malice, or benevolence ; passion, or meekness ; pride, 
or humility ; envy, or complacency ; anxiety, or confidence? 

Distant things do not sufficiently impress us. We need something 
immediate. Our propensity to present gratification is powerful. And 
must not religion meet this state of feeling and provide for it? Thirsty 
as man is, if there be no pure stream at hand, will he not kneel down to 
the filthy puddle ? What is to preserve us from being drawn away by 
the allurements and dissipations of the world, but our having something 
better to satisfy our hearts at home, and to keep us from roving? 
What can sustain us in our trials, and animate us in our duties, if des- 
titute of present consolation? ; ' The joy of the Lord is our strength." 
We shall soon decline a course in which we feel no interest or de- 
light. And if we are strangers to holy pleasure, how can we impress 
others in favor of religion ? It is by singing at their work that his 
servants praise their master, and prove that his yoke is easy and his 
burden light. 



432 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Let us take it to the bar of Scripture. Read the Bible all through 
for this purpose. Take its commands. What are these? " Rejoice in 
the Lord, and be glad, ye righteous ; and shout aloud for joy, all ye 
that are upright in heart." " Rejoice evermore." " Rejoice in the 
Lord alway ; and again I say, rejoice." Take its promises. What are 
these ? " Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound : they shall 
walk, Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they 
rejoice all the day ; and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.''' 
" The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs." 
u They shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace ; the moun- 
tains and the hills shall break forth before them into singing, and all 
the trees of the field shall clap their hands." Take its representations. 
What are these ? Go back to the beginning of the gospel. The first 
churches walked not only in the fear of the Lord, but "in the comfoft 
of the Holy Ghost." Peter, addressing Christians at large, says, "in 
whom, believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." If 
we libel Christianity, and cause the way of truth to be evil spoken of, 
they honored it. What hindered their joy? Losses did not. " They 
took joyfully the spoiling of their goods." Persecutions did not. " They 
received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost." 
Guilt did not. They joyed in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by 
whom they received the atonement. Death did not. They longed to 
depart, to be with Christ, which was far better. Eternity did not. 
They were looking for the blessed hope, and hasting unto the coming 
of the day of God. Joy was then considered an essential part of genu- 
ine religion. The circumcision not only worshipped God in the spirit, 
and had no confidence in the flesh, but also rejoiced in Christ Jesus. 
And the apostle would as soon have excluded from it righteous conduct 
and a peaceable temper as spiritual joy ; for says he, " the kingdom of 
God is not meat and drink ; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in 
the Holy Ghost." 

Let us bring it to the bar of experience. Experience signifies know- 
ledge derived from experiment, in opposition to theory and hypothesis. 
And experimental philosophy has been of late years much extolled. 
And why should not experimental religion be equally recommended ? 
Is there no standard in spiritual things to which we can appeal ? And 
is there no way of subjecting the truth and importance of their claims 
to trial ? Many are, indeed, too careless and too prejudiced to pursue 
the process. But some have examined and reduced the subjects to de- 
cision. And they, and they only are the persons to whom you should 
repair in a case of this kind. They have this advantage over you. You 
have never tried their principles, but they have tried yours. You have 
never walked, in their ways, but they have walked in yours, and know 
as well as you that they are not pleasantness and peace. And after try- 
ing your resources, and finding them to be vanity and vexation of spirit, 
they have tried the Saviour's blessings, and have found them to be full 
of grace and truth. At first they could only be swayed by faith, but 



SEPTEMBER 10. 433 

now they have something more : they have the Witness in themselves. 
They know, for they have applied to him, that he is a suitable, a willing, 
a mighty Saviour. Thej know they were strangers to peace till they 
were reconciled to God by the death of his Son ; but they have come to 
the blood of sprinkling. They know that once they were ignorantly 
asking, Who will show us any good? But they have found the foun- 
tain of life, and can say, It is good for me to draw nigh to God. They 
therefore ought to be heard. They can speak with confidence and 
earnestness, for they speak from experience. And this is their lan- 
guage : " Lo this, we have searched it, so it is ; hear it, and know thou 
it for thy good." " That which we have seen and heard declare we 
unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us ; and truly our fel- 
lowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." 

Let us listen no longer to a report as false as it is evil. It is a 
good land which the Lord our God giveth us. Let no man's heart fail 
him. 

SEPTEMBER 10 

" They joy before thee according to the joy in harvest." Isaiah 9 : 3. 

They joy befoke thee. This shows 

The sincerity of this joy. All men are in view of God, and they are 
always before him ; but the wicked and the worldly never joy before 
him. Their joy is all show and profession ; it may deceive their fellow- 
creatures, but it cannot impose on God. He sees through all the hypoc- 
risy of their happiness ; he knows that, in the midst of their sufficiency, 
they are in straits, and that they sigh and groan, though others do not 
hear them, over all their successes and indulgences. Their joy is for 
company, not retirement. They cannot partake of it till they forget 
God. One thought of him damps all their pleasure. Therefore they 
say unto God, Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy 
ways. And hence they dislike conscience, God's deputy and secretary. 
They cannot relish their enjoyments till they have sent him out of the 
way, or lulled him to sleep, or stupefied him with an opiate, or silenced 
him with a bribe ; one look, one word from conscience will be enough 
to spoil all their delights. They never taste one drop of real joy. 
There is no peace, saith God, to the wicked. 

But the Christian's joy will bear the gaze of God. It lives and 
flourishes in his presence. And so far is he from shrinking back from 
the eye of his heavenly Eatber, that the thought of being near him, with 
him, before him, affords him relief and satisfaction. He can say with 
Asaph/" Nevertheless I am continually with thee : thou hast holden me 
by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and after- 
ward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and 
there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my 
heart faileth : but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for 
ever." 28 



434 MORNING EXERCISES. 

This reminds us of the secrecy of this joy. It is before him, and often 
he alone discerns it. Strangers intermeddle not with it. The world 
knows it not. Seeing Christians often poor and afflicted and despised, 
they are at a loss to conceive how they can be joyful. Therefore be- 
lievers are men wondered at. Their fellow-creatures can see their bur- 
dens — these are often plain enough — but they see not their supports ; 
they see not how underneath them are the everlasting arms, or they 
would not wonder that they do not sink. They see their losses and 
trials, but their communion with God and the comforts of the Holy 
Ghost are invisible. Neither are the subjects of this joy disposed to 
divulge it to all'. They are indeed ready to say to them that fear God, 
Come, and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul ; but were they 
to communicate their feelings to others, they often would not be under- 
stood by them. It would be worse than speaking of the pleasure of 
literature to a clown, or of the pleasure of melody and harmony to a 
man who has no ear for music. The joy also does not operate and dis- 
cover itself like common mirth. It is not the froth, that swims and 
shows on the surface. It lies deep. It is not noise, but composure. It 
is the calm of the mind, the content of the heart, the sunshine of the 
soul, a peace that passeth all understanding. A man, if joyful, does not 
rejoice like a child. " True joy is a serious thing." 

But God sees his people even when sorrowful, yet always rejoicing 
either in possession, hope, or desire. He sees them turning aside from 
the world to refresh and exhilarate their spirits alone with himself, and 
hears them — when no other ear hears them — saying, " How precious are 
thy thoughts unto me, God ! how great is the sum of them ! If I 
should count them, they are more in number than the sand : when I 
awake, I am still with thee.'*' 

" Be earth, with all her scenes, withdrawn ; 
Let noise and vanity be gone : 
In secret silence of the mind, 
My heaven, and there my God, I find." 

They joy before Him. This also reminds us of the medium of this 
joy, not indeed exclusively, but preeminently so. It is connected with 
the worship and ordinances of God. And the allusion is to the three an- 
nual solemnities of the Jews when they went to appear before the Lord 
in Zion. For there he was considered as residing. There was his 
house, his table, his attendants. This, said he, is my rest for ever-: 
here will I dwell, for I have desired it. Hence, says David, when shall 
I come, and appear before God? These services were called feasts. 
There were songs to be sung in the way to them. The people went 
with the voice of joy and gladness to keep holy day. And when they 
arrived, they were required " to rejoice before him." Is God less pres- 
ent in our assemblies than in those of the Jews ? Has he not said, " In 
all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will 
bless thee ?" And many can set to their seal that God is truei They 
know he is there, waiting to be gracious, and exalted to have mercy. 



SEPTEMBER 11. 435 

They have found him there, and conversed with him as a man talketh 
with his friend. They have seen his power and his glory in the sanc- 
tuary, and have there tasted that the Lord is gracious. Hence, they 
hail the Sabbath as the day of holy convocation with delight. They 
are glad when the summons comes to go into the house of the Lord. 
They come before his presence with thanksgivings, and show themselves 
glad in him with psalms. 

Yes ; they who mourn, and are there comforted ; they who come 
burdened with guilt, and are there set free ; they who come in the midst 
of trouble, and find him in his palaces for a refuge ; they who come cold 
and languid, and are quickened according to his word, these verify the 
promise, " I will bring them to my holy mountain, and make them joyful 
in my house of prayer." And they know the meaning of the declara- 
tion, " They joy before thee." 



SEPTEMBER 11. 

" They joy before thee according to the joy in harvest." Isaiah 9 : 3. 

They joy before him according to the joy in harvest. And what 
is this joy ? 

It is a joy connected with exertion. Reaping is no easy thing. But 
this is not all that is required. There is manuring and ploughing and 
sowing and harrowing and weeding. All these are previously neces- 
sary to the joy of harvest. The husbandman does not eat the bread of 
idleness. His labor fills his hands. Every season has demands upon 
him, and the end of one work is the beginning of another. Indeed, 
nothing valuable is to be obtained without diligence and difficulty ; yea, 
it would not be valuable or prized if it were acquired priceless and 
painless. And are not we to exercise ourselves unto godliness ? And 
is it nothing to worship God in spirit and in truth ; and to watch in 
all things ; and to pray without ceasing ; and to keep the heart with 
all diligence? "But the grace of God does all this for us." It does. 
But it is equally true, that it does all this by us too. God does not be- 
lieve and repent, but enables us to believe and repent. We run the race 
that is set before us, we fight the good fight of faith, though in him is all 
our help found. 

This joy requires patience. The husbandman soweth in hope, but 
the accomplishment of his hope is future. Weeks and months, and 
many dreary weeks and months, intervene before his wishes can be ful- 
filled. Yet he is not foolish enough to suppose that he has labored in 
vain, because he cannot reap as soon as he has sown; or childishly 
eager enough to cut down the grain green to hasten the harvest. But 
what does he ? "The husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the 
earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and lat- 
ter rain." And so Abraham, after he had patiently endured, received 
the promise. Christians also are required to wait. And let them 
remember that in due time they shall reap, if they faint not. And they 



436 MORNING EXERCISES. 

have not long to wait. Their salvation is nearer than when they 
believed. Yet a few more rising and descending suns, and it shall be 
said, " Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe." In the mean time 
the process is hourly advancing to maturity, and the end shall prove 
that every thing is most beautiful and most profitable in its season. " It 
is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation 
of the Lord.'' 

This joy is not free from anxieties. When the seed is first thrown 
into the ground, it seems lost ; and when it revives from a kind of death 
and springs up, it has to encounter the frosts of winter, the changings 
and blights of spring, the lengthened dryness or wetness of summer. 
And when the period is arrived for securiug the precious treasure, 
solicitude is more alive and alert. The husbandman often rises and 
looks at the sky. Ten times in the day he examines the glass. He 
goes about with a heavy heart, and a depressed countenance, and often 
forebodes the worst ; and it is not till he has safely housed the whole, 
that he can give up himself to satisfaction and delight. But how will 
this apply to Christians ? Is there any thing precarious in the purpose 
and promise of God? No; but it is otherwise with their apprehen- 
sions. Their eternal prospects awaken all their concern, and they have 
a thousand doubts and fears concerning their safety and success. Am 
I an heir of heaven ? Is this repentance towards God ? Is this faith 
towards our Lord Jesus Christ? Can these wandering thoughts and 
imperfect desires be prayer ? "What if after all I should fail of the 
grace of God, and come short of the glory to be revealed ! 

But this joy is great. When the harvest is come, every face betrays 
pleasure. The very toil seems delight. They that pass by say, " We 
bless you in the name of the Lord." "He that soweth, and he that 
reapeth. now rejoice together." Pennant tells us, in his Travels, that in 
parts of Scotland he sometimes saw large numbers reaping to the sound 
of a musician behind them, playing on the bagpipe ; and thus enliven- 
ing the scene, and softening the work. And David says, " They that 
sow in tears shall reap in joy ;" or as it is in the margin, reap singing. 
And he adds, " He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, 
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with 
him." And who has not heard the shoutings of the rustics, as the last 
loaded wain returned from the field, covered with green boughs ? And 
who has not witnessed the rude mirth of harvest-home ? But if " the 
poor laborers sing," think of the owner. Now his anxieties are dis- 
pelled ; now his patience is rewarded. Now his exertion and expense 
are abundantly repaid ; his garner is full, affording all manner of store ; 
and he hails, in his possession, the means of indulgence, improvement, 
and wealth. Yet what is this joy compared with the Christian's? The 
one is for the body, the other for the soul. One is for time, the other 
is for eternity. One is common to the wicked and the righteous ; the 
other is peculiar to the subjects of divine grace. The one may gender 
intemperance and sin ; the other sanctifies while it contents. 



SEPTEMBER 12. 437 

Let me learn, then, to improve the works of creation to pious pur- 
poses, and make nature a handmaid to grace. 

And let me be thankful for the harvest with which we have so 
recently been favored. He has again " prepared of his goodness for 
the poor." All, indeed, are concerned. "The king is served by the 
labor of the field." But kings have many ways of living that poor peo- 
ple have not. We do not think of palaces or mansions, so much as of 
the dwellings of the poor, when we view the waving fields. He has 
not only given us plenty, but afforded us the appointed weeks of har- 
vest. " Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for 
his wonderful works to the children of men! For he satisfieth the 
longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." 

Yet man liveth not by bread alone, but by every word that proceed- 
eth out of the mouth of God. Let me therefore labor not for the meat 
that perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life. 
All spiritual blessings in heavenly places are provided and presented. 
Yet the season for securing them is limited, short, and uncertain. Now 
is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation. And how many, in 
consequence of neglect, have exclaimed, at a dying hour, The harvest 

IS PAST, THE SUMMER IS ENDED, AND WE ARE NOT SAVED ! 



SEPTEMBER 12. 

" Yea, he loved the people." Deut. 33 : 3. 

There can be no doubt of the truth of this assertion with regard to 
Israel. They were often reminded of it, and they were as often told 
why he set his love upon them. The reason was, not their greatness, for 
they were the fewest of all people, nor their goodness, for they were a 
stiff-necked people, but because the Lord had a favor towards them. 
Hence he chose them, and redeemed them, and provided for them, and 
distinguished them by miracles and privileges. " To them pertained 
the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the 
law, and the service of God, and the promises." " He dealt not so with 
any land." 

But has he less appeared to thee, Christian, saying, Yea, I have 
loved thee with an everlasting love, and with loving-kindness have I 
drawn thee? Here is the source of your salvation. However wide, 
and however far it flows, here the river rises ; and take what stream 
of it you please, it will lead you up to this spring-head, the free and 
undeserved favor of God. " Yea, he loved the people." 

But his love to his people, so to speak, is of three kinds. 

A love of benevolence. This consists in wishing and designing them 
good. 

A love of beneficence. This consists in doing them good. It appears 
in a thousand instances. The principal one of all is his remembering 
them in their low estate, and sending his only begotten Son into the 
world, that they might live through him. Herein, therefore, says the 



438 MORNING EXERCISES. 

apostle John, is love ; not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and 
sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. It was necessary to 
find a way in which his goodness could reach us, consistently with his 
nature as a holy being, his claims as a lawgiver, and his honor as a 
governor. And this medium of our salvation does not therefore detract 
from the author of it; for if he required a sacrifice, he furnished one, 
and it was the Lamb of God. And therefore the apostle says, being 
justified freely by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ 
Jesus. 

A love of complacency. The love of benevolence, and the love of 
beneficence, regarded them as unworthy and as miserable ; but the love 
of complacency regards them as new creatures. He cannot take pleas- 
ure in them while they are destitute of his image, and enemies to him 
by wicked works. What fellowship hath righteousness with unright- 
eousness, and what communion hath light with darkness ? But he pre- 
pares them for his delighting in them, and holding intercourse with 
them. He saves them by the washing of regeneration, and the renew- 
ing of the Holy Ghost. Then he takes pleasure in them, for they fear 
him, and hope in his mercy. Does a man take pleasure in his inheri- 
tance? In the wife of his bosom? In the children of his affection? 
In the work of his hands ? They are all this, and more than all, to the 
God of all grace. He puts their tears into his bottle. Are they not 
in his book ? Their prayer is his delight. Their alms are the odor of 
a sweet smell. He corresponds with them, visits them, takes up his 
abode with them. He rejoices over them with joy ; he rests in his love ; 
he joys over them with singing. x 

What can I wish for more ? Suppose men reproach ? Since I have 
been precious in thy sight, I have been honorable, and thou hast loved 
me. Let them curse, but bless thou. One smile of thine is better than 
life, and will more than balance a universe of frowns. 

Let my portion and the portion of mine be, " The good will of him 
that dwelt in the bush." 



SEPTEMBER 13. 

"And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?" Gen. 15 : 8. 

Why, had not God that very moment promised it ? And was not 
his word sufficient ? 

They surely have never made the trial who imagine that it is an 
easy thing to believe. To confide in a Being invisible, and whom we 
have so deeply offended, and to hang our everlasting hope upon his 
naked truth, requires the exertion of the power that raised up Christ 
from the dead. Who never feels in him the working of an evil heart 
of unbelief? Our Lord upbraided his own apostles with their want of 
faith. And even the father of the faithful desires something more than 
God's engagement to give him the land of Canaan. Whereby shall I 
know that I shall inherit it? Yet God pardoned his servant in this 



SEPTEMBER 13. 439 

thing, and stooped to his weakness, and yielded him what he required. 
And Abraham was satisfied with the sign and the seal. 

There is a better country, even a heavenly. The possession of it is 
an object worthy of all our concern. And they who love it and seek it 
supremely, cannot leave their claim undecided and uncertain; and 
therefore their language will be, " Say unto my soul, I am thy salva- 
tion ;" " Give me a token for good f " Whereby shall I know that I 
shall inherit it?" 

" Why, you have the promise of God, who cannot lie." Yes ; and 
this infallibly insures it to all those to whom it belongs. But who are 
the heirs of promise? Away with dreams and visions, and sounds in 
the air, and impulses, and accidental occurrences of passages of Scrip- 
ture. We have surer evidence. We have unerring proofs, furnished 
by God himself. Search his word with diligence and prayer. There 
you will find, not the names indeed of the heirs of eternal life, but their 
characters, their qualities, their taste, their choice, their way, their 
aim. 

Let me fix on one of these vouchers only ; it is a preparation for 
the blessedness. Where this is found, the title can never be absent. 
The apostle therefore gives "thanks to the Father, who has made us 
meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. 77 In 
another place he says, " He hath wrought us for the selfsame thing. 77 
And he does nothing in vain: If he has, by the agency of his Holy 
Spirit, fitted you in the temper of your soul for the world of glory, you 
may be assured that he designs you for it. If you bear the image of the 
heavenly, you will partake of their condition. If you have the dawn 
of that blessed state, you will have the day. Grace is of the same 
nature with glory ; they differ only in the degree. Is heaven not only 
the high but the holy place into which entereth nothing that defileth? 
and do you hunger and thirst after righteousness? Does the blessed- 
ness consist in adoring the Lamb that was slain, and in being like him, 
and in seeing him as he is? And are you now glorying only in his 
cross, and following him in the regeneration ; and praying that you 
may know him in the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of 
his sufferings ? Will the distinctions in life, now allowable and neces- 
sary, be done away, and only those remain which arise from character ? 
And are you valuing persons, not according to their outward circum- 
stances, but their real, their moral, their spiritual worth? As no 
inquiry will be made there where we have worshipped, but how ; nor to 
what denomination we pertained, but whether we were Jews inwardly, 
can you now pray from the heart, " Grace be with all them that love 
our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity?' 7 Can you now say, " Whosoever 
shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, the same is my brother 
and sister and mother ? 77 Then heaven is already begun, and therefore 
insured ; " for we are confident of this very thing, that he which hath 
begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." 
If you can take the representations of the employments and enjoyments 



440 MORNING EXERCISES. 

of heaven given us in the Scripture, and can desire these things, and 
hope for these things, and find your liberty and happiness in them, you 
have the earnest of the inheritance, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit 
of God unto the day of redemption. Let me not then, my soul, be 
faithless,, but believing ; and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 



SEPTEMBER 14. 

" Lean not unto thine own understanding." Prov. 3 : 5. 

The understanding is a natural faculty, by which man is distin- 
guished from inanimate creatures, and also from the animal world. The 
sun and moon and sea and rivers are impressed by laws of which they 
know nothing, and follow their destiny wholly unconscious of the oper- 
ations they perform. The beasts of the field and the fowls of the air 
have an instinct which often surprises us. But while it is wonderfully 
exact as far as it goes, it is exceedingly limited ; it admits of no variety 
or progression. These beings are no wiser now than when they went 
to Noah for shelter and to Adam for names. " But there is a spirit in 
man ; and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understanding." 
By means of this endowment he can look backward and forward. He 
can examine and judge. He can survey principles in their abstraction, 
and duties in their circumstances, and actions in their moral bearings. 
He Can refuse the evil and choose the good against present feelings and 
imposing appearances. 

This faculty, from the lowest degree of reason to the highest reach 
of intellect, is the gift of God, the Father of lights, and should be culti- 
vated by us as men and as Christians. We should rejoice that we live 
in a country and in an age so favorable to all kinds of information. It 
is a sad reproach to many, that in the midst of knowledge they are 
found so ignorant as they are ; it must be the result of dissipation or 
sloth. 

But though we are to prize and improve and make use of our under- 
standing, we are not to lean to it. Yet if we were not prone to this, 
the caution would be needless. There is nothing of which men are so 
proud as their knowledge. There are more than a few who would 
rather be charged with a want of principle than a want of cleverness, 
and would rather pass for knaves than fools. This regard seems indeed 
to be a kind of equalizer of the human race ; and the only thing with 
which all are satisfied, and in which they feel an ineffable complacency, 
is their own understanding. They lean to their own understanding in 
preference to the understanding of others, whom yet, if asked, they 
would consider as very superior to themselves both in capacity and 
experience. They may indeed consult with an adviser, but it is in the 
hope of finding a confirmation of their own opinion ; and should his 
judgment differ from their conclusion, they would feel little difficulty in 
resolving by which to abide. We frequently see this in those who are 
just entering the world, and so much need a guide to escape those early 



SEPTEMBER 14. 441 

mistakes that may affect the whole of their future life. "Whatever quick- 
ness of perception they may possess, they must surely be destitute of 
that practical wisdom that grows out of observation and trial. Yet 
how little do " the younger submit themselves to the elder." 

Men carry this disposition even into the things of God. They re- 
gard their own reason more than his word, and are reluctant to believe 
what they cannot comprehend. We are told that Alphonsus, the royal 
astronomer, having apprehended some seeming irregularities among the 
heavenly bodies, was daring enough to say, " Had I been by the Creator 
when he made the world, I could have given him some good advice." 
We justly shudder at his profaneness ; and yet who has not fallen into 
a similar error? Who has not found fault with God in his manner of 
governing the world, the church, the family, the individual? Who has 
not been ready to direct the Spirit of the Lord, and, being his counsel- 
lor, to teach him ? 

To preserve us from this tendency, let us remember how limited our 
own understanding is, how many subjects there are entirely beyond its 
reach, and that there is nothing with which it is perfectly acquainted. 
Let us also reflect how much we are impressed by appearances, and 
how different these often are from the realities of things. "Who know- 
etli what is good for a man in this life ; all the days of his vain life, 
which he spendeth as a shadow ?" What should we have been at this 
hour if things had always accorded with our mind and wishes? Let us 
look back, and see how frequently we have erred both in our hopes and 
fears. We now clearly see, that what we so eagerly desired would 
have proved our injury or ruin, and that what we were so anxious to 
escape has conduced to pur best welfare, so that we can say, " It is good 
for me that I have been afflicted." 

We are very incompetent to judge for ourselves, because we know 
not the influence other and untried events will exert upon us. To these 
we go forward with our present views and feelings, not aware that new 
scenes will produce new views and feelings, and may unfold secrets in 
our character of which we have no conceptions, and which may fill us 
not only with surprise but dismay. Thus, when Elisha predicted with 
tears the atrocities and cruelties he would commit, Hazael shuddered at 
the thought, and sincerely exclaimed, " What, is thy servant a dog, that 
he should do this thing ?" the man of God only answered, " The Lord 
hath showed me that thou shalt be king over Syria." And his eleva- 
tion transformed him from the man to the monster which he had exe- 
crated. 

And if, by leaning to our own understanding, we take one wrong 
step, what consequences, immediate or remote, personal or relative, may 
arise from it. See this in David. I shall now perish, said he one day, 
by the hand of Saul : " there is nothing better for me than that I should 
speedily escape into the land of the Philistines." The oracle, had he con- 
sulted it, would not have told him so. In truth, it was the worst meas- 
ure he could have devised. It tended to alienate the affections of his 



442 MORNING EXERCISES. 

countrymen, to justify the reproaches of his enemies, to deprive himself 
of the means of grace, to put himself out of the divine protection, and 
to lay him under obligations to a benefactor he could not oblige with- 
out betraying the cause of God. Accordingly, he was soon drawn into 
a scandalous equivocation with Achish. Then he was ordered to go 
and fight against his own people Israel. And when he was released 
from this embarrassment and went back, he found that in his absence 
his residence and property had been destroyed, and his family carried 
away captives. " Lord, I know that the way of man is not in him- 
self ; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." Lot leaned to 
his own understanding, and chose the vale of Sodom, which was well 
watered, like the garden of the Lord. By this movement he separated 
himself from intercourse with his pious uncle. He was taken captive 
by the confederate kings. He was strangely induced to reside in the 
town itself; and dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his 
righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds. At length 
he was burnt out of house and home. His wife, for looking back, be- 
came a pillar of salt, so that he never after could go or gaze that way. 
His daughters, contaminated by the vices of the place — but we dare not 
go on. " Trust in the Lord with all thy heart." " Lean not to thine 
own understanding." " In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he 
shall direct thy paths." 

SEPTEMBER 15. 

'•'Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" Acts 9 : 6. 

This is a very marvellous question, considering from whom it came. 
For the inquirer, till now, had hated the name of Jesus, and was at 
this very time actually engaged in the persecution of his followers. 
"What would he have thought if some one could have told him previ- 
ously, that in a few hours, in a few moments, he would be a worshipper 
at the feet of the Nazarene ? But so it was ; and he, trembling and 
astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? 

Let us never despair. The chief of sinners are within his reach. 
He has a mighty arm; strong is his hand, and high is his right hand. 
"What changes has his grace already accomplished, and what changes 
must it accomplish still, if the promise is to be fulfilled, " Instead of the 
thorn shall come up the fir-tree, and instead of the brier shall come up 
the myrtle-tree : and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlast- 
ing sign, that shall not be cut off!" But let us make this inquiry our 
own. It is every way worthy of our adoption. 

It is personal in its aim. "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" 
Many seem more anxious to reprove others than to know their own 
faults, and are busily employed in pulling the mote out of their broth- 
er's eye, while a beam is in their own. Some are always reading and 
hearing for others. And we have known persons applying, in a sermon, 
to some fellow-worshipper things which every one else in the assembly 



SEPTEMBER 16. 443 

would have deemed most proper for their own use. We should think 
of ourselves in divine things, and bring home every truth to our own 
business and bosoms, whether it encourages or censures. We should 
pray, Search me, God, and know my heart ; try me, and know my 
thoughts ; and see if there be any evil way in me, and lead me in the 
way everlasting. When our Lord had informed Peter of his duty and 
destiny, Peter saw John coming towards him, and asked, Lord, and 
what shall this man do ? But our Saviour said, What is that to thee ? 
follow thou me. 

It is practical in its subject. " What wilt thou have me to do ?" 
Not to know, to hear, to believe, to talk of. Religion indeed extends 
to every thing, but every thing is not essential to it. But practice is 
indispensable. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. 
Faith, without works, is dead, being alone. Though a man say he hath 
faith, and hath not works, can faith save him? Every part of the truth 
as it is in Jesus has a bearing upon the heart and the life of the receiver, 
and is according to godliness. 

It is impartial in its desire. " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" 
I do not prescribe ; I do not select ; I do not prefer. Thy pleasure 
alone I ask to know, and am resolved to follow. Speak, Lord, for thy 
servant heareth. True obedience is compatible with defects, but not 
with partialities. If a man regards some things and not others in re- 
ligion, those he regards he regards from some other motive than the 
will of God, for this would lead him to regard the one as well as the 
other, seeing they are all enjoined by the very same authority. He that 
offends in one point is guilty of all, not in the act, but in the principle ; he 
violates the authority of the whole. For he that said, Forsake not the 
assembling of yourselves together, said also, Enter into thy closet. If, 
therefore, you engage in public worship, and never retire for devotion, 
you are an offender. " He that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, 
Do not kill : now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art 
become a transgressor of the law." We never can truly obey, therefore, 
unless we can say, with David, " I esteem all thy commandments con- 
cerning all things to be right ; and I hate every false way." 



SEPTEMBER 16. 

" Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" Acts 9 : 6. 

Before we yield ourselves to any one, we should have full confi- 
dence in him, and the confidence should be founded on knowledge. To 
no fellow-creature can we wholly resign ourselves, either of right or 
with safety, for as he has no title to us, so we know not what his de- 
pravity may require of us. We owe duties to our fellow-creatures, and 
to many of them we may say, What wilt thou have me to do ? Yet we 
must obey them only " in the Lord." But his authority is supreme. He 
has infinite claims to my implicit homage. 



444 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Five principles demand, and more than justify the absolute surren- 
der of myself to him, saying, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? 

First, the righteousness and excellency of his requirements. Each 
of his prohibitions only says, Do thyself no harm. Each of his injunc- 
tions is an order to be wise and rich, and noble and happy. While 
following him my understanding never blushes, my conscience never 
reproaches me. I can give a reason for my obedience as well as my 
hope. His will is always a reasonable service. His work is honorable 
and glorious. 

Secondly, the relations in which he stands to his people. He is 
their husband ; he is their father ; he is their master ; he is their sove- 
reign ; he is their maker, from whom they have derived all they have 
and are. And surely in each of these it becomes them to ask, " Lord, 
what wilt thou have me to do ?" 

Thirdly, his greatness. This is unsearchable. He is Lord of all. 
All the angels of God worship him. All things were created by him 
and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 
His greatness is necessary to the illustration of his goodness, and 
crowns it with glory and honor. What condescension is there where 
there is no dignity ? But he was in the form of God, and took upon 
him the form of a servant. There was the stoop. He was rich, and 
for our sakes became poor. There was the grace. Greatness alone 
produces not attachment, but dread and aversion. But while He has 
all power in heaven and in earth, he is full of grace and truth. 

Therefore, fourthly, the obligations he has laid us under by his kind- 
ness. What are the obligations any of our fellow-creatures have laid 
us under ? What have they done for us ? What have they suffered for 
us? How few, how inconsiderable, how unexpensive, how unattended 
with any thing like sacrifice and self-denial have their acts of favor 
been ! But he, without our desert, and against the greatest demerit, 
remembered us in our low estate, and in his love and pity redeemed us. 
And how ? He was made a curse for us. He bore our sins in his own 
body on the tree. By his stripes we are healed. Where does he stand, 
how does he appear when he says, My son, give me thy heart ? 

" See, from his head, his hands, his feet, 

Sorrow and love flow mingled down ; 
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, 
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?" 

And can we wonder at the result ? 

"Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
That were a present far too small ; 
Love so amazing, so divine, 
Demands my soul, my life, my all." 

No legal process ever produced this surrender. The display of ter- 
ror and mere authority never made one cordial convert to any cause. 
Would you be induced to love another by his commanding you to do 



SEPTEMBER IT. 445 

so, or by his threatening you if you did not? No ; but by a display of 
love. Love begets love ; and we love him, because he first loved us. 
At the cross we are effectually wooed and won. There we are drawn, 
and there we are bound with cords of a man and the bands of love. 

Lastly, his engagement to reward our devotedness to him. Chris- 
tians are not mercenary, but they cannot serve him for naught. The 
recompense must be of grace, and not of works, but so much the better 
is it for the largeness of their hope ; for it is to be measured and judged 
of, not according to their doings, but his own abundant mercy, which it 
is designed to display. Hence will he say at the last, with regard to 
those poor performances over which they have blushed and wept, " Well 
done, good and faithful servant ; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." 
But he is not unrighteous to forget their work of faith and labor of love 
even now. In keeping his commandments there is great reward. Great 
peace have they that love his law, and nothing shall offend them. He 
is the best of masters. He furnishes them with ability for their work. 
He lays no more upon his servants than he enables them to bear. He 
will comfort them in affliction. He will not cast them off in old age. 
He will remember the kindness of their youth. "When heart and flesh 
fail, he will be the strength of their heart and their portion for ever ; 
and at death receive them to himself, that where he is there they may 
be also. 

Sinners talk of the pleasures of sin, but they never commend them 
at last. The people of the world boast of its amusements and delights, 
but they never speak well of the world at parting. In every season, in 
every condition, however trying, the Christian can say, Thou hast dealt 
well with thy servant, Lord. 

" Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he 
said unto them, Yerily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left 
house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of 
God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, 
and in the world to come life everlasting.' 7 



SEPTEMBER 17. 

"Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast a hook, 
and take up the fish that first cometh up ; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou 
shalt find a piece of money : that take, and give unto them for me and thee." Matt. 
17:27. 

In the midst of this supernatural scene, a sanction is thus given by 
our Saviour to the use of means. The supply was, in its source, prepa- 
ration, and announcement, miraculous ; yet Peter, who is to receive it as 
a favor, is to procure it by his instrumentality. The peculiar nature of 
the instance only renders it the more conclusive ; for if our Lord would 
not dispense with the use of means in an extraordinary case, surely he 
will not dispense with it in an ordinary one. Some good, but not very 
wise people seem to think that instrumentality detracts from the divine 






446 MORNING EXERCISES. 

glory, and that God is honored more by acting immediately. But in- 
strumentality supposes and requires agency, and the means themselves 
are always the Lord's own, and he gives them their success. His pro- 
ducing an effect by various concurrences and cooperations displays more 
of his perfections, and gives more opportunity to observe them, than his 
causing a result by an instant volition. 

Here was something which Peter could do, and something which he 
could not do. He could not replenish the fish with the money, or make 
it to swim in the direction of his bait, but he could procure the bait, 
and throw in the hook, and in the most likely place, and stand and 
watch. Why does he not cause the fish to spring ashore, and appear at 
once upon Peter's table ? Because he would not sanction indolence ; 
because he would render even his miracles moral as well as marvellous ; 
because his exertions were not a mere parade of power, but a display 
of wisdom and goodness, meeting indigence, relieving weakness, con- 
firming faith, but not encouraging folly and presumption ; teaching us 
to trust, but forbidding us to tempt him. 

In like manner, there is always something which we cannot do, and 
something which we can do. But the evil is, that we commonly derive 
from the former excuses for our neglect of the latter ; and so God's 
agency becomes a reason for our inactivity, instead of exciting our dili- 
gence. But this is perfectly contrary to the meaning of the apostle, 
when he says, " Work out your salvation with fear and trembling ; for 
it is God which worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure." 
In natural things we are wiser. Can the husbandman produce an ear 
of corn? He knows it is perfectly impossible. But he can manure and 
plough and sow, and in the use of these he expects the divine efficiency, 
but never in the neglect of them. No man can quicken his own soul. 
Yet there are means which are designed and adapted to save us ; and 
we can pray, " Come, thou north wind ; and blow, thou south." It is 
thus that religion possesses the evidence of analogy ; and in the God of 
grace, we see the God of nature. He feeds the fowls of the air, not by 
putting it into their mouths, but by furnishing provision ; and giving 
them wings and eyes and feet and beaks, to find and make it their own. 
"That thou givest them, they gather ;" and thus "he satisfies the desire 
of every living thing." He could warm us without the fire, and sustain 
us without food ; but we know what would be the consequence were we 
to disregard these, under a notion of honoring him by a dependence on 
his agency. 

Though the effect here was beyond the means, yet there was an adap- 
tation in them. Peter was a fisherman, and he is employed in his own 
line ; and his fishing was not only the condition of the result, but the 
medium, and conduced to it. And in general, we may observe that while 
the insufficiency of the means serves to display the power of God, the 
suitableness of them shows his wisdom. And such a suitableness there 
is. A pen cannot write without a hand to use it, yet there is an adap- 
tation in the instrument to the work. Some seem to use the means of 



SEPTEMBER 18. 447 

grace only as tests of their submission to the divine appointment, not as 
things which have a real tendency even in themselves to do them good. 
They expect the divine blessing in them, but not by them ; that is, not 
as an effect resulting from them under the divine influence — as if in the 
use of them they were planting and watering pebbles, which, by an 
almighty exertion, could be made to yield produce, instead of using them 
as a man sows wheat, and looks for wheat to arise from it. Faith cometh 
by hearing, and hearing tends to produce it by informing and convinc- 
ing the mind. The same may be said of a religious education, in form- 
ing the moral and pious character of the child. 

Peter did well not to disobey or reason, but to follow implicitly the 
divine order, fully expecting success. And he was not, and could not 
be disappointed. And thus let us act without murmuring or disputing. 
Let us use the means which he has prescribed, not only swayed by his 
authority, but relying on his promise, that none of those that wait for 
him shall be ashamed. 



SEPTEMBER 18. 

"I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water." Zech. 9:11. 

Persons may be prisoners as felons, as robbers, as debtors, as cap- 
tives taken in war. The character of the subjects of divine grace, by 
nature, involved all these. 

A pit wherein there is no water is a situation expressive of destitu- 
tion, wretchedness, and danger. There the victim has nothing to relieve 
his wants, nothing to quench his raging thirst. He cannot live in it ; 
he cannot escape from it. He is ready to perish. Such was Joseph's 
pit. Such was Jeremiah's dungeon. In such a condition the Lord finds 
his people. 

But he does not leave them there. He always produces a change in 
their favor. If they are darkness, he calls them into his marvellous 
light. If they are far off, he brings them nigh. If they are prisoners 
in a pit wherein there is no water, he sends them out of it. In his love 
and pity he redeems them, and makes them free indeed. 

The work is entirely his own, and the principle cannot be mistaken. 
How unworthy were they of his notice. How great the evil from 
which they have been rescued. How infinite the blessedness resulting 
from it. And after such a deliverance as this, shall they again break 
his commandments ? A soul redeemed demands a life of praise. Let 
my people go, that they msy serve me. What has he sent them out of 
their bondage to do, but to go and tell sinners, such as they themselves 
once were, that with the Lord there is mercy, and with him plenteous 
redemption ; but to show forth his praise ;. but to acknowledge, that by 
the grace of God they are what they are ; but to walk in newness of 
life ; to run in the way of his commandments ; to return and come to 
Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their head? 

And can this be a task? Did Zacharias think so when he sung and 



448 MORNING EXERCISES. % 

prayed, " That we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, 
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, 
all the days of our lives?" His service is perfect freedom. 






SEPTEMBER 19. 

"Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord." Hose a 6 : 3. 

Whether we consider these words as an excitation and an encour- 
agement addressed by the godly to each other, or to their own souls, 
they remind us of an important aim, a necessary duty, and an assured 
privilege. 

, The aim is, " to know the Lord." For the soul to be without know- 
ledge it is not good. All the operations of the Spirit are begun and 
carried on in the renewing of the mind. Nothing can be moral or 
religious in our dispositions and actions that is not founded in know- 
ledge, because it must be destitute of principle and motive ; and the 
Lord looketh at the heart. Real repentance must arise from proper 
views of the evil of sin, in connection with the cross of Christ. " They 
shall look upon him whom they, have pierced, and shall mourn for him.' 7 
Even faith" is impossible without knowledge: "For how can they 
believe in him of whom they have not heard ?" " This," says the Sav- 
iour, " is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, 
and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." This declaration not only 
decides the importance of this knowledge, but also the nature of it. It 
is not a philosophical knowledge of God as an almighty being, the 
maker and upholder of all things ; or even a knowledge of him as holy 
in all his ways, and righteous in all his works. Such views of him alone, 
must, on the mind of a sinner, gender dread and aversion. The grand 
thing in the restoration of a fallen and guilty creature is, to know that 
He is reconcilable ; that He is willing, even now, to become our friend ; 
and has already given undeniable proof that he is waiting to be gra- 
cious, and is exalted to have mercy upon him. And all this is only to 
be seen in the only begotten of the Father, who has declared him. 
God in nature, is God above me ; God in providence, is God beyond 
me ; God in law, is God against me ; but God in Christ, is God for me 
and with me. Neither is this knowledge of him a merely speculative 
acquaintance with him, such as men may possess who behold and wonder 
and perish. There is a great difference between the decisions of the 
judgment, and the bias of the will ; between the convictions of the con- 
science, and the submission and acquiescence of the heart. " With the 
heart man believeth unto righteousness." " I will give them a heart to 
know me." " He hath shined in our heart, to give us the light of the 
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 

Connected with this, there is a necessary duty. It is, " to follow on" 
to know the Lord. 

This takes in the practice of what we already know. To what pur- 
pose would it be for God to afford the light they have not, to those who 



SEPTEMBER 19. 449 

neglect the light they have ? It would only increase their sin and their 
condemnation. " Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall 
have more abundance ; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken 
away even that he hath." And we see this constantly exemplified. 
When men love not to retain God in their knowledge, it is their inter- 
est to see things less clearly ; and so they part with one truth after 
another as it becomes troublesome, till God gives them up to strong 
delusion to believe a lie. While those who do his will, know of the 
doctrine .; advancing towards the light, they get more into its shining ; 
and as far as they have already attained, walking by the same rule, and 
minding the same thing, if in any thing else they be otherwise minded, 
God reveals even this unto them. 

It also includes diligence in the use of appointed means ; such as 
reading the Scriptures, and hearing the word preached, and meditation, 
and " walking with wise men ;" and above all, prayer to the Father of 
lights, according to the promise, " If any of you lack wisdom, let him 
ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not ; and 
it shall be given him." " If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up 
thy voice for understanding : if thou seekest her as silver, and search- 
est for her as for hid treasure ; then shalt thou understand the fear of 
the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." 

It must also mean perseverance in this course. " Blessed is the man 
that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of 
my doors." Here is not only watching, but waiting. Some run well, 
and are hindered. But we are to run with patience the race that is 
set before us ; and by patient continuance in well-doing, to seek for 
glory, honor, and immortality. 

Nor shall this be in vain. " Then shall we know, if we follow on to 
know the Lord." The privilege is as sure as the word of God, con- 
firmed by his faithfulness, and all history, and all experience, can make 
it. And if probability will actuate a man to engage in an enterprise, 
and continue in a series of exertions and sacrifices, how much more 
should actual certainty ? Let therefore this full assurance of hope excite 
and influence us in two cases. 

The first is with regard to ourselves. The way of the Lord is 
strength to the upright. Keep his way, and your path shall be as the 
shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Your 
perplexities shall be solved, your doubts removed, your fears subdued. 
Crooked things shall be made straight, and rough places plain. You 
shall know more of him in his word, providence, and grace ; and more 
of him as the strength of your heart, and your portion for ever. 

The second regards others. Be not impatient if they cannot em- 
brace all your religious views at once, and are amazed at some parts of 
your experience. In grace, as well as in nature, there must be infancy 
before manhood. Though now their acquaintance with divine things 
be small, and they only see men as trees walking, the Enlightener will 
put his hand a second time to the work, and they shall see every thing 

Morn. Exer 29 



450 MORNING EXERCISES. 

plainly. If their heart be broken off from sin and the world, and they 
are asking the Tray to Zion with their faces thitherward, they shall not 
err therein. " Who hath despised the day of small things ?" 



SEPTEMBER 20. 

"In him is do sin." 1 John 3 : 5. 

No sin original. David said, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin . 
did my mother conceive me. The same may be said by every individual 
of the human race. Our Saviour was truly a man ; but to secure him, 
in the participation of our nature, from pollution, behold a new thing 
in the earth. He is made only of a woman : a virgin conceives and 
bears a son. and that holy thing which is born of her is called the Son 
of God. His people are holy by renovation ; he was so by nature. 
Even when sanctified, they feel within them a conflict ; the flesh and the 
Spirit oppose each other, and they cannot do the things that they would. 
But he had no warfare of this kind. He could not say, I find then a 
law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. All his 
senses and appetites and passions moved in obedience to reason, and in 
unison with the will of God. 

Hence there was in him no sin actual. In proof of this the testi- 
mony of his friends may be deemed partial, though they had the best 
opportunities of knowing him ; and they all gloried in the avowal that 
he did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. But hear the 
multitude, "He hath done all things well."' Hear the dying thief, "This 
man hath done nothing amiss." Hear Pilate, who judicially examined 
him, "I find no fault in this man ; I am pure from the blood of that 
just man." Hear Judas, the domestic spy, after three years of intimacy 
with him, "I have betrayed innocent blood." No one ever had more 
keen or malicious observers, especially in the Pharisees, whom he had 
exasperated to fury by laying open their pious wickedness to the people. 
But he challenged every adversary : u Which of you convinceth me of 
sin?" If there be any thing in us susceptible of evil influence, Satan 
will be sure to find it, for he has a bait to suit every disposition ; but 
the prince of this world came, and had nothing in him. He struck the 
sparks, but there was no tinder. Events, whether prosperous or pain- 
ful, are severe trials. If there be mud at the bottom, the waves will 
cast up mire and dirt. "But he was in all points tempted like as we 
are, yet without sin." He was made under the law ; and this law is so 
spiritual that the holiest of men, when they have compared themselves 
with it, have always prayed, "Enter not into judgment with thy ser- 
vant, .Lord ; for in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified." But 
even this law had nothing to complain of in him ; it found, in principle 
and in practice, all the obedience it required. And how was he viewed 
by Him who is greater than the heart, and knoweth all things? He 
always did the things that pleased the Father. 

The fact, therefore, is undeniable. But whence this exception? 



SEPTEMBER 20. 451 

How came this one man alone to have no sin in him, while as to the 
myriads of the human race besides, they are all gone out of the way ; 
there is none righteous, no, not one? It can only be accounted for 
upon the admission that he was the Lord from heaven ; the Holy One 
of God ; the Word made flesh ; the only begotten of the Father, full 
of grace and truth ; who received not the Spirit by measure ; in whom 
dwelt all the fulness of the godhead bodily. 

This is not an unimportant decision. The innocency of his charac- 
ter affects the credibility of his mission and his doctrine. A being in 
whom was no sin could not have been a deceiver, but he constantly de- 
clared that he came forth from God ; that he came to seek and to save 
that which was lost ; that he would cast out none that came to him. 

It serves to evince the nature of his suffering and death. He had no 
sin of his own, and therefore if he died not for the sins of others, he 
died without any reference to sin at all. And where then is the God 
of judgment? That be far from him, to slay the righteous with the 
wicked. No one ever suffered under his government absolutely inno- 
cent, but either as personally or relatively guilty — bearing his own 
desert or the desert of others. But in him was no sin ; yet he was 
esteemed stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. And so he was : 
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our 
iniquities ; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his 
stripes we are healed." 

Without this, he could not have been qualified for his work. He 
had immediately to approach infinite purity. His sacrifice would not 
have been accepted, unless he had offered himself without spot to God. 
Such a high-priest became us, who was harmless, holy, undefiled, and 
separate from sinners ; and who needed not to suffer for his own sins, 
dying only for those of others. 

What a character is here. Others are lovely, but he is altogether 
lovely. See what humanity can become, and will become in all his fol- 
lowers. For they are predestinated to be conformed to him. The spir- 
its of just men will be made perfect ; and though they will be reem- 
bodied, their bodies will have no seed of corruption in them, for they 
also will be not generated, but produced. They could not have full 
communion with him, without complete likeness to him. But this we 
know, that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see 
him as he is. " And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth 
himself, even as he is pure." 



SEPTEMBER 21. 

"My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." Exod. 33 : 14. 

This exceeding great and precious promise belongs to the Christian 
as well as to Moses. What is he authorized to expect from it ? 

My presence shall go with thee to guide thee, and I will give thee 
rest from perplexity. How miserable would a man be in travelling, if 






452 MORNING EXERCISES. 

his journey were important, and yet he was ignorant of the way, and 
every moment liable to err. In this case nothing would relieve him so 
much as a guide who was willing to go with him, and able to show him 
the course he should always take. And his satisfaction would be in 
proportion to the confidence he reposed in the disposition and capacity 
of his leader. Nothing can equal the importance of the journey we are 
taking ; life or death, salvation or perdition depends upon the issue, 
and " the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to 
direct his steps." If left to himself, he will err in every step, and in the 
greatness of his folly for ever go astray. The Christian feels this, and 
therefore prays, " Lead me in thy truth, and guide me ; for thou art the 
God of my salvation, on thee do I wait all the day. 7 ' And does God 
disregard his cry ? "Iara the Lord thy God, which teacheth thee to 
profit ; which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go." This 
extends to doctrine, to experience, to all his temporal concerns. He is 
not indeed to look for miracles, but he is under the conduct of God, and 
he has given no promise but shall be fulfilled. When the Jews were 
marching to Canaan, they had a pathless desert to go through, but they 
were free from all perplexity, because they had a fiery cloudy pillar to 
regulate all their movements. We have the same. For " this God is 
our God for ever and ever : he will be our guide even unto death.' 7 

My presence shall go with thee to guard thee, and I will give thee 
rest from apprehension. A Christian has not only a pilgrimage, but 
a warfare to accomplish. No sooner has he set his face Zionward, 
than he has reason to exclaim, " Many there be which rise up against 
me ; many there be that say of my soul, There is no help for him in 
God." And what wonder if, while without are fightings, within are 
fears? And how is he to prevail over them? He knows that, if .left 
to himself, he must perish long before he reaches that better country. 
But he is not alone. There is one at his right hand who says, " Abide 
with me ; for he that seeketh thy life, seeketh my life ; but with me 
thou shalt be in safeguard." At the sound of this his mind is re- 
lieved, his confidence rises, and he sings, " The Lord is my light and 
my salvation ; whom shall I fear ? the Lord is the strength of my life ; 
of whom shall I be afraid?" 

My presence shall go with thee to provide for thee, and I will give 
thee rest from anxiety. The manna was not to be hoarded, but gath- 
ered daily : and we are to feel our constant dependence upon God for 
the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And is this trying ? Could 
we wish it to be otherwise? 

" They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." " My 
grace is sufficient for thee." What more can we desire? When we 
have trusted in God for the soul, it might be imagined that it would be 
easy to trust in him for the body. But temporal things are sensible 
and near and pressing, and some cases would be enough to awaken all 
their forebodings ; but he has said, " I will never leave thee, nor for- 
sake thee." " Fear the Lord, ye his saints ; for there is no want to 



SEPTEMBER 22. 453 

them that fear him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger ; but 
they that seek the Lord shall want no good thing." Jehovah-jireh — 
the Lord will provide. 

My presence shall go with thee to comfort thee, and I will give thee 
rest from sorrow. However you may be stripped, you shall not be des- 
titute of consolation. Though the fig-tree shall not blossom, nor fruit 
be in the vine, you shall rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of your 
salvation. His presence is a substitute for any creature ; it can more 
than repair every loss. Some leave us from want of principle, some 
from infirmity, rather than depravity. Death abridges our circles. 
Who can look back over a few years, and not exclaim, " Lover and 
friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into dark- 
ness?" Yet if the lamps be extinguished, the sun continues. If the 
streams fail, we have the fountain. Are the consolations of God small 
with thee ? In the multitude of thy thoughts within thee, do not his 
comforts delight thy soul ? 

But 0, when I shall gather up my feet into the bed, and turn my 
face to the wall ; then, all creatures withdrawn, and flesh and heart 
failing, what can support me in the prospect, and above all, in the 
experience of that event? Be of good courage. He who is with thee 
in the wilderness will be with thee at the swellings of Jordan, and open 
a way through the flood, and give thee a dry-shod passage over into the 
land flowing with milk and honey. He who has been with thee in life 
will be still more with thee in death. And therefore you may boldly 
say with one before you, " Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 
shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me j thy rod and 
thy staff they comfort me," 

From this hour let me never forget this blessed promise, "My pres- 
ence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." Let me believe it 
with a faith unfeigned. Let me ascertain my title to it. Let me plead 
it before the throne of grace. Let me apply it in my perplexities, my 
apprehensions, my anxieties, my sorrows. Let me bind it about my 
neck, and write it upon the table of my heart, that when I go it may 
lead me, when I sleep it may keep me, and when I awake it may talk 
with me. Amen. 

SEPTEMBER 22. 

" Thy Maker is thy husband." Isaiah 54 : 5. 

The relation in which God stands to us must be all-important. If 
we are his people, he is related to us not only as the God of nature and 
providence, but as the God of grace. This spiritual connection is held 
forth under various forms, none, of which is more common, simple, or 
well known, than the marriage union. 

The marriage union is honorable in all. It is exemplified in the 
larger part of the human race. It was established in Paradise, where it 
was not good for man to be alone, and in commendation of it our Sav- 






454 MORNING EXERCISES. 

iour wrought his first miracle at a wedding. But applied to God and 
us, it is a metaphor, and therefore it is to be soberly explained. For 
while we are not to overlook the wisdom and kindness of the Holy 
Ghost in meeting our weakness, we are not to press every circumstance 
of the comparison into an article of allusion. The relation into which 
God enters with his people is analogous to that which subsists between 
the husband and the wife. This could be easily explained and under- 
stood. 

But let us take the reality of the connection itself, to show us three 
things. First, the condescension and goodness of God. Nothing will 
bear a comparison with it. Consider what He is ; his independence, 
his greatness, his glory ; and view them in their unworthiness, lowness, 
vileness. How wonderful that He should thus magnify them, and set 
his heart upon them. They had neither birth, nor relations, nor wealth, 
nor wisdom to recommend them. It cannot indeed be denied that they 
are distinguished by all these attributes now, but this is the consequence 
of the relation, and not the cause of it. " Since thou hast been precious 
in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee." 

Secondly, the privilege of believers. Blessed are the people who are 
in such a case ; yea, happy is the people whose God is the Lord. They 
have One in the nearest of all relations to them who is love itself, and 
will bear with their infirmities, and in all their afflictions be afflicted ; 
who is infinitely wise, and knows their frame, and will never mistake 
their welfare ; who is almighty, and able to defend them from every 
danger, and to make all things work together for their good ; who is 
faithfulness and truth, and will never leave them, nor forsake them ; 
who lives for ever, and renders the union eternal and indissoluble. 

Thirdly, their duty. They must mind their husband's concerns. 
They must regard properly his relations. They must obey him. The 
wife promises this in marriage, and the apostle enjoins it : Wives, sub- 
mit yourselves unto your own husbands. Ho extends it to every thing ; 
but this must be qualified with one condition, every thing reasonable 
and righteous. Vashti refused Ahasuerus when he sent for her to come 
and exhibit herself before a company of intoxicated lords and officers, 
in violation of all decency, and the laws of veiled concealment in which 
women then lived ; and we justify her disobedience. But with regard 
to us, the will of God is absolute, not only because he has a propriety 
in us which one creature can never have in another, but because all his 
commandments are right. The wife is required to reverence her hus- 
band. This must be a hard saying in some cases, seeing there are some- 
times so very few materials to excite or deserve veneration. But this 
should have been thought of before ; and persons should not voluntarily 
contract relations, the duties of which they cannot perform and must 
not neglect. God's excellences are infinite, and it is delightful to give 
him the glory that is due to his holy name. The wife also must be 
faithful to her husband : " she is for him, and not for another." And 
we are only the Lord's. There is such a thing as spiritual adultery ; 



SEPTEMBER 23. 455 

to avoid which we are to keep ourselves from idols. Milton's wife 
returned home again, but she came back and humbled herself, and was 
readmitted to favor. Here is the duty of the church : " Hearken, 
daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear ; forget also thine own 
people, and thy father's house ; so shall the King greatly desire thy 
beauty : for he is thy Lord ; and worship thou him." 



SEPTEMBER 23. 

" I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the 
Lord. And I entreat thee also, true yoke-fellow, help those women which labored with 
me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow-laborers, whose names 
are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always : and again I say, Rejoice." Phil. 
4 : 2-4. 

The apostle much valued and commended the Philippian converts. 
He here calls them his " brethren," his " dearly beloved " and " longed 
for," his "joy and crown." Many people distress and disgrace their min- 
isters, but these yielded Paul both comfort and honor. He does not, 
however, deem them above the need of exhortation. Yet, though he 
might have been bold to enjoin what was convenient, for love's sake he 
beseeches and entreats. The subject is threefold. 

First, unanimity and concord. This regards a particular instance 
of disagreement in the church. " I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syn- 
tyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord." Here were two 
women, obviously of some note, who were at variance. We are not 
informed whether the ground of difference was civil or religious. Per- 
haps it was owing to a talebearer, for a talebearer separateth true 
friends. Perhaps it was a mere trifle in the outset. In our mistakes, 
prejudices, passions, and infirmities, the enemy of souls always finds 
materials for exciting dislike and contention. Perhaps they were both 
to blame. This is commonly the case, and therefore the Scripture says, 
forgiving one another. The feelings of females are quick, and their im- 
aginations too often give importance to a real or supposed offence. 
And two such individuals at variance may draw in others, form parties, 
and embroil a whole church. When this is the case, their own edifica- 
tion is at an end ; and from others is driven that union of soul which is 
necessary to give efficacy to social prayer, when we meet together in 
one place with one accord, waiting for the promise of the Father. The 
apostle therefore would not that Euodias and Syntyche should oppose 
or keep shy of each other, but, terminating their difference, keep the 
peace and live in love. The Saviour is the Lamb of God, and if we 
have the mind that was in him, we shall display " the meekness and 
gentleness of Jesus Christ." The Holy Ghost descended upon the head, 
and enters his followers, as a dove ; and 

" The Spirit, like a peaceful dove, 

Flies from the realms of noise and strife : 
Why should we vex and grieve his love, 
Who seals our souls to heavenly life - ?" 






456 MORNING EXERCISES. 

We read in ecclesiastical history of two Christians who had quarrelled 
in the morning, but in the evening one of them sent a note to the other : 
"Brother, the sun is going down." He referred to the apostle's words, 
" Let not the sun go down upon your wrath ;" and the hint produced 
reconciliation. When President Edwards had preached one of his first 
sermons, after the remarkable outpouring of the Spirit upon his labors, 
he observed two families, when the congregation had withdrawn, re- 
maining in the church as if by joint consent. Upon approaching them, 
he found they had to that day been in a state of variance ; but owing to 
the influence they were now under, they could not depart from the house 
of God till they were reconciled. 

Secondly, mutual assistance. " I entreat thee also, true yoke-fellow, 
help those women which labored with me in the gospel, with Clement 
also, and with other my fellow-laborers, whose names are in the book 
of life." Some have imagined that those women here alluded to were 
Euodias and Syntyche. If it were so, we should learn that persons 
who have been betrayed into improper temper and conduct in a partial 
instance, may jet have been worthy and useful characters ; and they are 
not to be rejected, but restored in the spirit of meekness. But whoever 
these females were, they had cooperated with Paul and his associates 
in the ministry — not in public preaching, for this our apostle had ex- 
pressly forbidden, but in various offices suited to their sex and condi- 
tion ; by their devotion and example and conversation ; by their pri- 
vately instructing the ignorant ; by their bringing up children, washing 
the saints' feet, attending benevolent institutions, ministering to the 
wants of the apostles. All who wish to be useful may be employed 
without violating any of the decorums of life, or quitting their proper 
stations. 

On their behalf, Paul addresses his " true yoke-fellow." It is absurd 
to suppose this means, as some have thought, Paul's wife. For it seems 
more than probable that he never was married, and the gender of the 
adjective here used is masculine. Was it the jailer? He had been one 
of the apostle's first converts at Philippi, and had much assisted him in 
the gospel. Or was it Epaphroditus ? But he was not at this time at 
Philippi. Perhaps it was some one of the bishops or deacons mentioned 
in the beginning of the epistle, with whom Paul had been peculiarly 
connected in travelling and preaching. Whoever he was, he was to 
help those females who had been so serviceable to Paul and Clement 
and their comrades, by his prayers and consolations, and every kind of 
attention their personal or relative, temporal or spiritual circumstances 
would require. How honorable was it to be thus distinguished and 
recommended by the apostle ! Who was ever a loser by any thing he 
did for the cause of the Redeemer? He that watereth shall be watered 
also. God is not unrighteous to forget their work and labor of love. 
Wheresoever the gospel is preached, that which these women did shall 
be told for a memorial of them. 

Thirdly, constant joy. " Rejoice in the Lord always : and again I 



SEPTEMBER 24. 457 

say. Rejoice." Rejoicing is a pleasing exercise, but it is not always an 
easy one. In a vale of tears ; in an enemy's country ; without, fight- 
ings ; within, fears ; pressed down with a sense of un worthiness ; bur- 
dened with infirmities, wearied with a body of sin and death — what won- 
der if we often hang our harp on the willows, or at least, that we cannot 
always sing the Lord's song? Yet we arc enjoined to rejoice " always." 
But how ; in what ; in whom ? In the world ; in creatures ; in our- 
selves ? Then would it indeed be impracticable. No ; but " in the 
Lord." And in him there is enough at all times and in every condition 
to encourage and delight us. We are empty, but in him all fulness 
dwells. In him is all the wisdom, pardon, righteousness, strength, and 
hope we need. His grace is sufficient for us. He is an infinite resource. 
Therefore, says the apostle, I have not spoken thoughtlessly ; I know 
what I have said, and why I have said it ; I know that the thing is pos- 
sible. And I know,- also, that it is proper. Nothing becomes a Chris- 
tian more than joy, and by nothing can he be more useful. I therefore 
repeat it, And again I say, Rejoice. 



SEPTEMBER 24. 

"He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, evea as he walked." 
1 John 2 : 6. 

The state here spoken of is abiding in Christ. A man's saying he is 
thus in him is done two ways. The one is to himself, and so it is be- 
lief; the other is to his fellow-creatures, and so it is profession. The 
rule of such a man's life is the example of Christ, walking as he walked. 
And to this he is under an obligation to conform. He ought to walk 
even as he walked. The obligation is fourfold. 

First, he ought to walk even as he walked, from a principle of evi- 
dence. Deception in religious concerns is not only possible, but common ; 
and the consequences, if the delusion continues, will be dreadful. Hence 
we should be anxious to know whether our hope is any thing better 
than presumption, or our safety is any thing more than self-security. 
If from self-confidence we contemn such solicitude, let us remember that 
the sacred writers command us not to be high-minded, but fear, and to 
examine and prove whether we be in the faith. There are indeed many 
proofs of a gracious state, and there are some of a more experimental 
nature to which we do well to take heed ; but none of them can afford 
us relief if they are unaccompanied by an imitation of Christ. " Why 
call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" "If any 
man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." " If any man be 
in Christ, he is a new creature." 

Secondly, he ought to walk even as he walked, from a principle of 
consistency. The relations and conditions in which we are found deter- 
termine the propriety of our conduct. When we know what a man is, 
we conclude what it becomes him to do. A steward is expected to be 
found faithful, and dishonesty draws upon him censure and condemna- 



458 MORNING EXERCISES. 

tion from all. Every one is sensible that a priest and a king should 
not act like common men, but that a dignified and sacred line of con- 
duct is required by their rank and office. Christians are kings and 
priests unto God, and therefore they must walk worthy of the vocation 
wherewith they are called. The man who. advances peculiar and supe- 
rior claims to any thing has no reason, no right to complain if he be 
judged by his pretensions. He who wishes to pass as a Christian 
avows himself related to Christ, and by his doctrine and character he 
must be tried ; he ranks himself above all the world, and challenges 
the inquiry, What do ye more than others ? 

Thirdly, he ought to walk even as he walked, from a principle of 
usefulness. He will thus put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. 
He will wipe off the reproach attached to the gospel. He will adorn 
the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. He will be the means, 
by his good works which they behold, of inducing those that are with- 
out to enter the way everlasting. No one can imagine the influence 
and efficiency of a life entirely Christian. It is a blessing to the whole 
neighborhood in which it is displayed. It is like a dew from the Lord, 
and as showers upon the grass. But by an unworthy and unbecoming 
conduct, a professor of religion can destroy much good. He causes the 
way of truth to be evil spoken of; he hardens transgressors; he per- 
plexes the weak ; he. grieves the strong ; he opposes and discourages 
all those who are laboring to win souls. Woe to the world, because of 
offences. And woe to that man by whom the offence cometh. 

Fourthly, he ought to walk even as he walked, from a principle of 
gratitude. We feel and acknowledge the kindness shown us by our fel- 
low-creatures ; and in consequence of it we endeavor to meet their 
wishes, and to avoid whatever pains or displeases them ; for actions 
speak louder than words. What has not Christ done for us? See his 
condescension, when, in the form of God, he took upon him the form of 
a servant. See his grace when he was rich, and for our sakes he be- 
came poor. See him in the manger, and in the garden. See him upon 
the cross dying, and upon the throne reigning, for us. See him making 
all things work together for our good. And surely we shall feel that a 
peculiar, a supreme love to him becomes us. And how are we to show 
it? Shall we ever grieve his Holy Spirit? Shall we not ask, Lord, 
what wilt thou have me to do ? Shall we not pray, " Let the words of 
my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, 
Lord, my strength and my redeemer?" He that hath my command- 
ments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. He that offereth 
praise glorifieth me, and to him that ordereth his conversation aright 
will I show the salvation of God. Upon which Philip Henry observes, 
Thanksgiving is well, but thanksliving is better. 

If we walk like him now. we shall walk with him hereafter. It is 
his own promise, " Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have 
not defiled their garments ; and they shall walk with me in white ; for 
they are worthy." 



SEPTEMBER 25. 459 

SEPTEMBER 25. 

"I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest." Psa. 55 : 8. 

Such was the language of David ; and it may be the language of 
any other good man, in the depth of distress. But is it allowable and 
proper ? There is no perfection here ; and there is nothing concerning 
which we should indulge more tenderness of censure than hasty expres- 
sions, uttered under the pressure of pain or grief. Perhaps it was to 
prevent our severity here that the cases of Job and Jeremiah are 
recorded, both of whom, though eminent in piety, cursed the day of 
their birth. The Scripture is not harsh upon them; and it is observa- 
ble, that when James refers to one of these bitterly complaining suf- 
ferers, he only says, " Ye have heard of the patience of Job." They 
who have never been in a state of peculiar distress, know little of the 
feelings of human nature under it. But there are others who can re- 
'spond to the invitation of sympathy : " Pity me, pity me, ye my friends, 
for the hand of God hath touched me." And the Father of mercies 
knows our frame, and remembers that we are dust. We are not 
required to choose suffering for its own sake, or to be indifferent to 
ease and deliverance. Our Saviour himself had not that fortitude 
which mocks at pain, but that which felt deeply, and yet submitted. 
With strong cryings and tears he prayed, " Father, if it be possible, let 
this cup pass from me : nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done." 

But what allows of excuse, truth does not require us to commend. 
It was his infirmity that induced David to long for death, to hasten his 
escape from the stormy wind and tempest : and an old writer tells us it 
would have been more honorable for him to have asked for the strength 
of an ox to bear his trials, than for the wings of a dove to flee from 
them. Is not such language unworthy and ungrateful? Should we 
overlook and forget all our comforts ? Have not these been great and 
numerous? And did we then long to flee away? Yea, are they not 
many and various even now ? And shall we only dwell on the dark 
side? Let us examine again, and let truth and thankfulness stand by. 
And may they not yet be many and great? Afflictions are not immuta- 
ble dispensations. What changes often take place, to the surprise as 
well as joy of desponding sufferers. 

" The Lord can change the darkest skies — ■ 
Can give us day for night ; 
Make drops of sacred sorrow rise 
To rivers of delight." 

And is there not unbelief in the case? You are afraid of all your 
sorrows ; and not only of their continuance and increase, but of their 
influence and effects. You dread lest you should not bear them prop- 
erly, so as to glorify God ; but sink in the day of adversity. Yet, 
thou of little faith, wherefore dost thou doubt ? Is not he able to pre- 
serve and support and comfort thee? And has he not engaged to do it? 
Has he not said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee ? " When 



460 MORNING EXERCISES. 

thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee ; and through the 
rivers, they shall not overflow thee : when thou walkest through the 
fire, thou shalt not be burned ; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." 
And has not his conduct always accorded with this assurance, both with 
regard to others and with regard to thyself? 

" Did ever trouble yet befall, 
And he refuse to hear thy call ? 
And has he not his promise passed, 
That thou shalt overcome at last"?'' 

More than once you have been appalled in the prospect of a trial ; but 
when the evil day came, there came with it mercy and grace to help. 
Perhaps you even gloried in tribulation. Perhaps you would not 
refuse to pass through some of those distressing exercises again, to 
enjoy the same peace and comfort. 

Is there not much ignorance and inconsideration in this impatience? 
How do you know that it is better to escape from these troubles than to 
bear them? Not one of them has befallen you by chance. May you 
not infer the righteousness of them all from their very author ? Is not 
his work perfect ? Are not his ways judgment ? He doth all things 
well. Does he detain you in distress because he does not love you? 
Yea, he loved you with an everlasting love ; and withheld not his own 
Son from }~ou. You may therefore entirely confide in him, assured that 
if he does not release you, it is because he waits to be gracious ; and 
also equally assured, that blessed are all they that wait for him ; for it 
is good for a man not only to hope, but quietly wait for the salvation of 
the Lord. 

First, your own welfare may require the process. The Saviour was 
made perfect through suffering ; and the character of every Christian 
is more formed and improved from his afflictions than his enjoyments. 
What would some of you have lost, had you fled away before such a 
trying dispensation enriched your faith and hope. How much of your 
happiness in heaven will arise from a review of your present conflicts 
on earth. The very trial of your faith is precious ; and the crown of 
life is promised, not to him that escapes, but to him that endureth temp- 
tation. Afflictions are heavenly agents, and work out for you a far 
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 

Secondly, the welfare of others may require it also. We are de- 
tained here to be useful, and we are often most useful in our trials. 
Nothing strikes like facts. The passive graces are the most impressive. 
They are better than a thousand sermons ; better to arrest the careless, 
to instruct the ignorant, to encourage the timid, to comfort the despond- 
ing. It was well Bunyan did not escape from the prison at Bedford, 
or we should not have had his Pilgrim's Progress, and his Holy War. 
Paul was a prisoner, and knew that to depart and be with Christ was 
far better ; nevertheless, because it was more needful for the Philippi- 
ans, he was willing to abide in the flesh, and acquiesced in the adjourn- 
ment of his deliverance and bliss. And here you also may be wanted. 



SEPTEMBER 26. 461 

Perhaps you have a venerable mother, and are required to rock the 
cradle of her age who rocked the cradle of your infancy. Perhaps you 
are a parent, and a rising family is dependent on your care, instructed 
by your wisdom, edified by your example. We are all placed in cir- 
cumstances where we may prove a blessing, and this is our only oppor- 
tunity. We may glorify God in heaven, but not in the same way as 
now, by submission, patience, and self-denial. This is an advantage we 
have above the glorified. They cannot exercise candor, and forgive 
injuries, and relieve distress, and save souls. Life is ours as well as 
death. Therefore all the days of our appointed time let us wait, till 
our change comes. 



SEPTEMBER 26. 

"And he brought him to Jesus." John 1 :42. 

These are few words, but they are very instructive and improving. 
We may ask three questions. 

To whom was he brought? "He brought him to Jesus." To whom 
should he have been brought but unto him? He had the words of eter- 
nal life. In vain would he have been brought to the princes of the 
world ; to the philosophers of antiquity ; to the moralists of the age ; 
to the scribes and Pharisees ; to Moses ; to the law. Moses wrote of 
him ; and the law was a schoolmaster to bring men to Christ, that they 
might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the deeds of the 
law. To him, says Isaiah, shall men come. To him, said the dying 
Jacob, shall the gathering of the people be. There alone they can 
find the wisdom they nee<l, the pardon they need, the peace they need, 
the strength they need. In him they are blessed with all spiritual 
blessings in heavenly places. Neither is there salvation in any other. 

Who was brought? It was Simon Peter. "He brought him to 
Jesus." He is a character frequently and largely noticed in the sacred 
history. For, in consequence of this introduction, he became not only 
a disciple of Jesus, but a preacher of the gospel, and an apostle ; and 
from the low occupation of a fisherman, he was made a fisher of men ; 
and by one cast of his net he gained three thousand souls. Let us 
endeavor to bring men to the Saviour, remembering that we know not 
what he will do, not only in them, but for them and by them. While 
he saves them, he may also employ and dignify them. However un- 
likely at present they appear, we may by and by observe them, with 
joyful surprise and adoring gratitude, not only as Christians, but as 
ministers in his church, and extensively serving their generation 
according to the will of God. Whatever condition they may fill, or 
office they may discharge, they will be, must be useful. Like their 
father Abraham, they will be not only blessed, but blessings. In con- 
verting one, we do good to many. Who ever went to heaven alone? 

We may also ask, Who brought him? It was Andrew. " He brought 
him to Jesus." Andrew had been for some little time with Jesus himself, 



462 MORNING EXERCISES. 

and he immediately evinces the influence of the intercourse on his own 
mind by his concern to bring others to the same Saviour. And there 
is nothing peculiar in this. They who have seen his glory will be sure 
to proclaim his worth. They that have tasted that the Lord is gracious 
themselves, will be always constrained to invite others. " taste and 
see that the Lord is good : blessed is the man that trusteth in him." 
And they always speak of him best who speak from experience. 

Andrew was not only acquainted with Jesus, but he was also related 
to Peter. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, " We 
have found the Messias. The expression intimates that he also pre- 
vailed upon others, but that he began with him. His finding him first 
might have been accidental ; but it is much more probable that it was 
by design. He thought, and he thought justly, that his own brother 
had, though not an exclusive, yet a prior claim to his attention. And 
therefore while many lead their friends and relations, their own flesh 
and blood, into the haunts of dissipation, the counsel of the ungodly, 
the way of sinners, the seat of the scornful, and so bring them to the 
devil, Andrew instantly performed towards Simon, his own brother, a 
brother's part. And he brought him to Jesus. 

Let us not forget this. We are to disregard none of our fellow- 
creatures, but surely those who are connected with us by the ties of 
friendship and of nature have the first right to our solicitude. How is 
it possible for us to think of them and not exclaim, with Esther, in the 
dread of a more tremendous perdition, " How can I bear to see the 
destruction of my kindred ?" In endeavoring to do good to these, we 
have also greater opportunities and advantages, by reason of our influ- 
ence and easiness of access. Let then grace sanctify and engage in 
her service all the force and endearment of natural affection. Let the 
pious sister pray for, and plead with an irreligious brother. Let the 
godly wife strive to save her own husband. Let the husband allure to 
accompany him the desire of his eyes. And Oh, let parents awaken 
and blend their anxieties and efforts to bring to Jesus their children. 
When Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, all the wounded 
were to obtain cure by looking. But children were bitten, as well as 
men and women. Had we been there, we should have seen many a 
father leading along his little daughter to a place of vision ; and many 
a mother pressing near with her infant son in her arm, and pointing his 
eyes to catch the shining remedy. So has the Son of man been lifted 
up, that whosoever belie veth on him should not perish, but have ever- 
lasting life. The young need him, and the sooner they are brought to 
him the better. The sooner will they be prevented from injuring soci- 
ety ; the sooner will they enter on a course of usefulness, during which 
they will scatter a thousand blessings. If we do good to an old man, 
it is all-important to himself ; but then it goes off with him. Whereas 
the good communicated to a child is not only valuable personally, but 
relatively. It descends from him, and is spread by him as he rises up 
and multiplies in life ; and the result of the whole cannot be estimated. 



SEPTEMBER 27. 463 

And if we bring them to him, will he reject or despise them? Let 
his command determine this : " Feed my lambs." Let his conduct 
decide it : " They brought young children to him, that he should touch 
them. And his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when 
Jesus saw it he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the lit- 
tle children to come unto me, and forbid them not ; for of such is the 
kingdom of God. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands 
upon them, and blessed them." 

Let those that have children, and let those that are children think of 
this and be encouraged. 

"A flower, when offered in the bud, 
Is no vain sacrifice." 

Another flower, thus offered, can never arrive at perfection. It must 
wither and die. But this flower shall live and blossom as the rose. 
The Eedeemer will put it into his bosom, and the fragrance shall spread 
through the church below and the temple above. 



SEPTEMBER 27. 

"And he brought him to Jesus." John 1 : 42. 

What Andrew here did with Simon, we are to do with our fellow- 
creatures ; we are to bring them to Jesus. 

But can men be brought to him now ? Did he not say, I am no more 
in the world? How happy were they who lived when he was on earth. 
They could repair to him in every trouble, and tell him every distress. 
Ye benevolent neighbors,, you could carry the paralytic, and place him 
beneath the very eye of mercy. You anxious father, you could go to 
him and say, " Sir, come down ere my child die." You Martha and 
Mary, as soon as Lazarus was afflicted, you could send to him, saying, 
"Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick." And cannot you, my dear 
readers, apprize him of your desire, or your grief? Have not you at 
your disposal a messenger that you can dispatch to him in a moment, 
in the twinkling of an eye? "While they call, I will answer; and 
when they speak, I will hear." And has he not said, Lo, I am with 
you always, even unto the end of the world ; and wherever two or three 
are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of you ? If 
these words be true, he is with his ministers and people now. Though 
no longer visible, he is accessible. We may apprehend him as to his 
essential presence, by which he fills heaven and earth. We may appre- 
hend him also as to his peculiar presence, by which he is nigh to them 
that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 
He is to be found in the Scriptures ; in his house ; at his table ; on his 
throne ; in the garden, and in the field. 

But can we bring souls to him ? Not efficiently ; this is the work 
of God only. " No man can come to me, except the Father, which hath 
sent me, draw him." And the sooner we are convinced of this the bet- 



464 MORNING EXERCISES. 

ter. We shall then make all our attempts in dependence on the agency 
of his Spirit ; and thus honoring him, he will honor us*. But we may 
do this instrumentally. For God makes use of means, and he employs 
men. And employs them not only to do good to their fellow-creatures 
temporally, but spiritually ; not only to relieve their bodies, but to save 
their souls. And various and many are the ways in which we may thus 
bring men to Jesus. We may do it by intercession ; for he hears prayer 
for others as well as for ourselves. We may do it by the influence of 
example. Nothing speaks so loud as the silent eloquence of a holy, 
consistent, and lovely life. By this wives may win their husbands with- 
out the word, and servants may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour 
in all things. By this all may be useful. All cannot be learned, all 
cannot be rich, but all may be exemplary. We may do it by instruc- 
tion. Thus Andrew brought Peter. We have found, says he, the 
Messias. And thus the woman of Samaria brought her neighbors, 
saying, Come, see a man that told me all that ever I did ; is not this the 
Christ? By a word fitly spoken — a letter — an invitation to hear the 
gospel — the commendation of a good book — the diffusion of the Bible — 
the sending forth missionaries — the supporting of ministers, whose office 
it is to turn men from darkness to light — by all these, and many more, 
we may be the means of introducing souls to Jesus. 

But why should we be concerned to bring them? Four things 
should make us alive to this work. First, to feel a concern for it is an 
evidence of grace, and an evidence the most decisive. Indeed, every 
other evidence is fallacious without this ; and this is always to be found 
in a real Christian. For however he may walk in darkness as to a 
knowledge of his own interest in divine things, and draw the conclu- 
sion that he has no part nor lot in the matter, he never is insensible 
and indifferent to the success of the gospel, and the salvation of souls. 
Secondly, to attempt it is a duty : a duty that cannot be declined 
without the greatest guilt — a duty arising from the relation in which we 
stand to our fellow-men, as bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh — 
a duty enforced by the will of God, clearly made known in the injunc- 
tion, As we have opportunity, let us do good unto all men : and what 
good can equal this ? Thirdly, to accomplish it is the most glorious 
enterprise. What is the rescue of a whole nation from civil bondage 
compared with the deliverance of one soul from the power of darkness, 
and translating it into the kingdom of God's dear Son? Can a trifle 
throw heaven into ecstasy? Yet there is joy in the presence of the 
angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. The work, therefore, 
is its own motive ; its success is its own recompense. And so the apos- 
tle deemed it. " If a man err from the truth, and one convert him, let 
him know that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way 
shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." 
Fourthly, to fail in it is no disgrace. Yea, failure here is infinitely 
more honorable than success in any other enterprise. But wise and 
good efforts are never in vain. If they are useless as to the direct ob- 



SEPTEMBER 28. 465 

ject, they do good collaterally. If they relieve not the beneficiary, 
they bless the benefactor. His prayers and endeavors return not void 
into his own bosom. We are a sweet savor of Christ, not only in them 
that are saved, but in them also that perish. The promise is not made 
to success, for this does not belong to us, but to exertion : " Be thou 
faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." 

But while we endeavor to bring others to Jesus, let us sec to it that 
we have come to him ourselves. It is awful to think of being the in- 
struments of his grace, while we are not the subjects. 

" Great King of grace, my heart subdue ; 
I would be led in triumph too, 
A willing captive, to my Lord ; 
And sing the victories of his word." 



SEPTEMBER 28. 

" The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen 
pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter !" Lam. 4 : 2. 

Such is the difference between the judgment of God and the spirit 
of the world concerning the precious sons of Zion. In the estimation 
of God — and his judgment is always according to truth — they are com- 
parable to gold, yea, fine gold. And they are so for their rareness, and 
their purity, and their value, and their durability, and for their bearing 
the severest probation ; and instead of being injured by the trial, deriving 
improvement and lustre and usefulness from it. 

But as that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in 
the sight of God, so that which is approved and commended of God is 
undervalued and despised by men. The world therefore knoweth them 
not. It knew him not. Their Lord and Saviour was despised and 
rejected by them. And they as his followers are esteemed as earthen 
pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter. Natural men judge onl}- 
from sense and outward appearances, and Christians are often poor and 
afflicted. They see the outside of the tabernacle, and this is covered 
with goats' skins and badgers' skins, dyed red ; but they never enter the 
holy place, nor approach Him who sitteth between the cherubim. They 
are sensual, not having the Spirit ; and spiritual things are spiritually 
discerned. They do not feel their need of the blessings which consti- 
tute the happiness and glory of the children of God, and therefore prize 
not the possessors of them. Yea, the carnal mind is enmity against 
God, and causes them to dislike every thing that bears his impression 
and likeness. 

Yet even these despisers shall behold and wonder and perish. When 
the delusions of time shall give place to the unveiled realities of eter- 
nity, they will be compelled to exclaim, We fools counted their lives mad- 
ness, and their end to be without honor. How are they numbered with 
the saints, and their lot is among the children of God ! Yea, even now 
there are moments when, if we could witness the workings of convic- 

Morn. Exer. „ 30 



466 MORNING EXERCISES. 

tion, we should hear many a Balaam admiring, and praying, How goodly 
are thy tents, Jacob ! and thy tabernacles, Israel ! Let me die the 
death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his. 

Christians should not be uneasy and impatient under the mistakes 
and reproaches of their adversaries. It is a light thing to be judged 
of man's judgment. He that judgeth them is the Lord. Their praise 
is not of man, but of God. They should know that this is not their 
day. Their day is coming. It will be the manifestation of the sons of 
God. Yea, conscious of what by the grace of God they are, they should 
learn in whatsoever state they are therewith to be content. In every 
thing they should give thanks. Their souls should make their boast in 
the Lord. They should never scruple to extol and recommend their 
privileges and excellences. That which we have heard and seen, says 
the apostle John, declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship 
with us. And is this desirable ? And truly our fellowship is with the 
Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 

Who is on the Lord's side ? my soul, art thou? Dost thou love 
and admire those whom God approves and honors ? Canst thou call 
the saints that are in the earth, The excellent, and say, In them is all 
my delight ? Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of 
God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, and esteemed the 
reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. 



SEPTEMBER 29. 

"Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest." Micah 2 :10. 

One of the old divines, in his pastoral admonitions to his people, 
exhorts them not to look for that in the law which can only be found 
in the gospel — not to look for that in themselves which is only to be 
found in Christ — not to look for that in the creature which is only to 
be found in the Creator — and not to look for that on earth which is 
only to be found in heaven. 

The present is not our rest. It was not designed to be our rest. It 
is not fit to be our rest. And if we are Christians, we have relinquished 
it as our rest, and have chosen another. 

Yet who does not need this exhortation ? Our souls naturally cleave 
unto the dust. Many, like Reuben and Gad, prefer an inheritance 
on this side Jordan. And even the godly themselves, who have not 
their portion in this life, but have said, As for me, I will behold thy 
face in righteousness, I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy like- 
ness, even these need to have their pure minds stirred up by way of 
remembrance. " My people," says God, " have forgotten their resting- 
place." 

He therefore who takes pleasure in the prosperity of his servants, 
sends them this message, " Arise ye, and depart ; for this is not your 
rest." And there are five messengers by which he sends it. 



SEPTEMBER 29. 467 

The first is his word. And we should read it and hear it for this 
very purpose. It meets us in our complaint and inquiry, " Who will 
show us any good ?" and says, " Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be 
at peace ; thereby good shall come unto thee." It forbids us to lay up 
treasures on earth. It commands us to seek those things that are above. 
It denounces the curse and misery of making flesh our arm. It pro- 
claims the grandeur of the soul, and sets before us what alone is wor- 
thy of its ardor. It leads us into all truth, and places us at the foot 
of the Cross by which the world is crucified unto us, and we unto the 
world. 

The second is affliction. God speaks by the rod as well as by the 
word. While he chastens us with his hand, he teaches us out of his 
law. Has he not by events plainly addressed us, " Ye have dwelt long 
enough in this mountain ; turn ye, and take your journey ?" Has he 
not, by repeated frustrations of our hope, plainly said to us, " Let it 
suffice thee : speak no more to me of this matter ?" Perhaps our pur- 
poses have been broken off, even the thoughts of our hearts. Perhaps 
we have been made to possess months of vanity by sickness. Perhaps 
by death lover and friend has been removed far from us. And amidst 
the wreck of every thing dear to us, a voice, though we knew not at 
first that it came from heaven, said, " What hast thou here ? and what 
dost thou here?" And if we are so much attached to the world, with 
all our losses and distresses, what should we have been without them? 
If the pilgrim be ever seduced from his way, it is by flowers and pros- 
pects ; if ever he sits down and sings himself asleep, it is in a pleasant 
scene, and in fine weather, not when the sky is dark and stormy, and 
the road is rough and miry, for then, by contrast, the thought of home 
becomes dearer, and he feels an incitement to quicken his pace. 

The third is worldly success. This, in some respects, may convince 
us more of the insufficiency and emptiness of every thing here than even 
our deprivations. When a man is unable to attain his object, he may 
still imagine that there is happiness in what he misses, and that he is 
miserable because he misses it. But when he has gained the prize, he 
is convinced that the dissatisfaction he feels arises from the nature of 
the thing itself. We long for certain acquisitions with all the fondness 
of hope, and feel no apprehension unless on the side of failure. We can- 
not believe, from the acknowledgments of others, that these things will 
belie expectation and still leave a void within ; but only when we have 
made the trial ourselves — when we have formed the connection, filled 
the office, gained the fortune we desired ; and in the midst of our suffi- 
ciency we are in straits, sigh over our indulgences themselves, and en- 
joyment as well as affliction cries, All is vanity and vexation of spirit. 

The fourth is the earnests and foretastes of a better world. And 
such Christians are favored with in the comforts of the Holy Ghost, in 
accesses to the throne of grace, in the power and glory of God which 
they see in the sanctuary, and in those sacred moments of divine com- 
munion alone, when they can say, 



468 MORNING EXERCISES. 

" While such a scene of sacred joys 
Our raptured eyes and souls employs, 
Here we could sit and gaze away 
A long and everlasting day." 

And these not only call, but allure and win the heart away. When the 
clusters of grapes were brought to the Israel of God in the wilderness, 
they said in very intelligible language, What does your present condi- 
tion supply like this ? See what grows in the land that is before you. 
Taste ; and go up and possess it. 

The last is death. Every apprehension and approach of this cries, 
" It is high time to awake out of sleep ; for now is your salvation nearer 
than when you believed." But this orders us to depart really as well 
as morally. God sends by it not only to his people, but for them. And 
it seems surprising that they should ever be ready to turn away from 
the messenger. A child at school welcomes every messenger from home 
to him, but he desires most the messenger that comes for him. Joseph 
sends to Jacob and for him at once ; and his father not only heard his 
words, but saw his wagons. 4i Oh, these are really to carry me to him. 
I shall soon see my son, and die in peace." 

Such a messenger, Christian, is death to you. Come, says God ; 
you have toiled long enough ; you have feared long enough ; you have 
groaned long enough ; your warfare is accomplished ; enter the rest 
which the Lord your God giveth you. Come, for all things are now 
ready. 

Yes ; you will soon hear the voice saying, Israel, you must this 
day go over Jordan. And why should you be unwilling to exchange 
the desert for the land flowing with milk and honey ? Is not this the 
purpose of your travels; the end of your desires; the completion of 
your hopes ? 

"But the swelling river rolls between." Fear not ; the ark of the cov- 
enant will go before you and divide the waves, and you shall pass over 
dry-shod. And then let the streams reunite, and continue to flow on ; 
you will not wish them to reopen for your return. What is misery to 
others is joy to you. "I shall go the way whence I shall not return." 



SEPTEMBER 30. 

"If then I be a father, where is mine honor?" Mal. 1 : 6. 

We admire the scripture mode of allusion and comparison. Its 
images are taken from the most obvious and simple things ; and while 
they illustrate the spiritual subjects to which they are applied, they 
also impart moral lessons. While they enjoin the duties we owe to 
God, they remind us of those we owe to our fellow-creatures. Thus 
the child is instructed and reproved by the address which informs and 
admonishes the Christian. 

In the words before us, here is first a principle supposed ; indeed, it 
is expressed in the foregoing sentence : " A son honoreth his father." 



SEPTEMBER 30. 469 

It is a dictate of nature, of custom, of observance, in all ages and coun- 
tries. The child, as soon as he can reason, finds himself under the con- 
trol of a superior at once dear and venerable, to whom he is obliged, 
and on whom he is dependent ; he asks of him information ; he looks 
to him for provision ; he confides in his care and wisdom ; he obeys his 
orders, and submits to his discipline. If stricken, he does not reproach 
or think of striking again. " The eye," says Solomon, " that mocketh 
at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley 
shall pluck it out, and the young eagles shall eat it." A modern writer 
has made free to turn these words into ridicule, by ranking them with 
those senseless bugbears by which nurses often terrify children. But if 
the ignorance of infidels with regard to every thing scriptural was not 
extreme, he might have known that, under the Jewish law, filial disobe- 
dience was a capital offence. " Every one that curseth his father or his 
mother shall be surely put to death : he hath cursed his father or his 
mother ; his blood shall be upon him." And Moses mentions also the 
mode. ;{ If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not 
obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when 
they have have chastened him, will not hearken unto them : then shall 
his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the 
elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place ; and they shall say 
unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he 
will not obey our voice ; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the 
men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die : so shalt thou 
put evil away from among you ; and all Israel shall hear and fear." 
Hence, what is threatened might have been literally accomplished. 
But when we consider how figuratively the Easterns expressed them- 
selves, we may admit the reality of an awful penalty on the transgressor 
without pleading for the literal execution. We have a remarkable in- 
stance of filial honor in the regard the Rechabites paid to the authority 
of their father. " They said, we will drink no wine : for Jonadab the 
son of Rechab our father commanded us," saying, Ye shall drink no 
wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever : neither shall ye build house, 
nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any : but all your days ye 
shall dwell in tents ; that ye may live many days in the land where ye 
be strangers. Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of 
Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all 
our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters ; nor to build 
houses for us to dwell in : neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor 
seed : but we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done accord- 
ing to all that Jonadab our father commanded us." It is lamentable to 
think how little of this obedience is to be found in children now. Yet 
there is far less piety in the world than morality. 

Here is, secondly, an obligation inferred. It is, that if other fathers 
are to be honored, we are much more bound to honor God ; for he is 
a Father far above the truth of the relation in all other cases. We 
have had fathers, but they were fathers of our flesh ; but he is the Fa- 



470 MORNING EXERCISES. 

ther of our spirits. They were fathers only subordinately, and neither 
the sex, nor the form, nor the talents of the child resulted from their 
choice ; but he is supremely, efficiently, absolutely our Father ; he made 
us, and endued us with all our powers, and from him must spring all 
our hopes. 

And therefore, not only is the reality of the relation found in him, 
but the perfection too. He always acts the part of a wise and good 
Father, and always acts it completely, divinely. Other fathers often x 
chastise their children for their own pleasure, but he for our profit. 
They may be implacable, but he is ready to forgive. They may neglect 
to educate or provide, but he teaches us to profit, and suffers us to want 
no good thing. 

The duty also is enforced by the eminence of his character and the 
grandeur of his condition. His understanding is infinite ; his power is 
almighty ; his dominion is everlasting ; he is Lord of all. " It is he 
that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are 
as grasshoppers ; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and 
spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in ; that bringeth the princes to 
nothing : he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity." To this con- 
sideration he himself appeals in the close of this chapter. " Cursed be 
the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth 
unto the Lord a corrupt thing : for I am a great King, saith the Lord 
of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen. 77 

Thirdly, here is a complaint alleged. " If I am a Father, where is mine 
honor? 77 And has he no ground for this inquiry? Men often com- 
plain without cause. They are unreasonable in their demands and ex- 
pectations. They may be mistaken with regard to the nature and de- 
sign of many actions, because they judge after outward appearances. 
But God 7 s claims are unlimited. He sees motives ; he looketh to the 
heart ; he takes our meaning ; and passing by our mistakes and infirmi- 
ties, accepts arfd commends our aims and endeavors. And yet even he 
complains. And how deeply deserved, and how extensively applicable 
is the charge he brings ! See the generality of mankind — have they 
any concern to please him ? Take the professors of his religion — what 
do they more than others ? Take even the subjects of his grace — even 
in them where is his honor? Is it here, in constantly asking, Lord, 
what wilt thou have me to do ? Is it here, in meekly submitting to his 
rebukes ? Is it here, in speaking well of his name, and recommending 
him to others? 

Let us make the deficiencies and sins of others a mirror in which to 
behold our own. Do I meet with ingratitude in a fellow-creature that 
I have relieved ? Let it soften my resentment, and keep me from re- 
solving to do no more for him. Let me inquire how J have behaved 
towards my heavenly Benefactor. Do I reflect on an undutiful child, 
and perhaps justly too? Yet let me ask whether my heavenly Father 
has not much more reason to condemn me. If thou, Lord, shouldest 
mark iniquity, Lord, who should stand? 



OCTOBER 1. 471 

How necessary is it for us to fall down at his footstool, and pray, 
Enter not into judgment with thy servant, Lord ; for in thy sight 
shall no flesh living be justified. 

What a blessing is the gospel, that assures us with the Lord there 
is mercy, and that his grace is sufficient for us. 

Yet let this make us the more concerned to honor him, and to be 
harmless and blameless, the children of God without rebuke. 



OCTOBER 1. 



" Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord ! To what end is it for you 1 The 
day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.'' Amos 5 : 18. 

We may apply this to the day of death. How often do men when 
in trouble and disappointment express a wish that God would now 
take away their life from them, supposing that it is better for them to 
die than to live. We cannot indeed be always sure of the sincerity of 
their desire, and they may not be sure of it themselves. Under the 
pressure of present feeling, they may imagine that death would be wel- 
come, when perhaps, if it actually appeared, they would decline his 
aid. And if they would not, they ought. For their fleeing from trouble 
is as if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him ; or went into the 
house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. 

Let' me, then, beg these sons of sorrow to inquire whether the event 
they long for will be a real remedy for their complaints. Are they sure 
that death will be annihilation? Are they perfectly sure that there is 
nothing beyond the grave? Can they prove that there is no future 
state ; or that in this state there is no misery, but happiness only? 
Judas hanged himself. But he went to his own place. This was far 
worse than his former condition, even under all the horrors of remorse. 

If the Scripture be true, all are not happy at death. Yea, none are 
then happy without a title to heaven and a meetness for it. And have 
you this title ? What is it ? " He that believeth on the Son hath ever- 
lasting life : and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life ; but 
the wrath of God abideth on him." Have you this meetness ? What 
is it ? Do you love holiness ? Without this could you be happy in a 
holy place, in a holy state, in holy company, in holy engagements, in 
holy enjoyments? Is the Redeemer precious to your souls? And do 
you delight in him ? Without this could you be happy to be for ever 
in his presence, and hearing for ever his praise? Could a man without 
an ear or taste for music be happy by being removed into a world of 
melody and harmony ? Need you be told that happiness does not arise 
from the excellency of the object, but from its adaptation to our dispo- 
sition ; that nothing can make us happy but what relieves our wants, 
fulfils our desires, and satisfies our hope ? Without holiness, therefore, 
no man can see the Lord. 



472 MORNING EXERCISES. 

How absurd, then, is it to wish to leave this world for another be- 
fore you are sure the exchange will be for your advantage. For your 
advantage it cannot be, if you die unpardoned and unrenewed. Blessed 
are the dead that die in the Lord. But out of Him, you are out of the 
city of refuge, and the avenger of blood is upon you. Out of Him, you 
are out of the ark, and exposed to the deluge. No ; the day of your 
death is not better than the day of your birth. Whatever your priva- 
tions and losses and distresses here may be, they are only the beginnings 
of sorrow, and all you suffer from them is only a drop to the ocean com- 
pared with the damnation of hell. And once gone from time, there is 
no return. "As the tree falleth, so it lies.'' 

Instead therefore of wishing this only and all-important season 
ended, you should be thankful that it is prolonged, if it be continued 
even in a vale of tears, and account that the long-suffering of God is 
your salvation, for he is not willing that any should perish. 

Remember also that these disappointments and sorrows, which make 
you so impatient, may prove the greatest blessing, and the valley of 
Achor be given you for a door of hope. For God does not afflict will- 
ingly, nor grieve the children of men. He renders earth desolate to 
induce you to seek a better country. He strikes away every human 
prop, and puts failure and vexation into every worldly scheme, that you 
may turn from idols to the supreme good, and say, 

" "What should I wait or wish for, then, 
From creatures — earth and dust? 
They make our expectations vain, 
And disappoint our trust. - 

Now I forbid my carnal hopes, 

My fond desires recall ; 
I give my mortal interest up, 

And make my God my all.'' 

Away, then, with every thought of desperation. Say, "I will arise, 
and go unto my Father.'" 7 He is in sight, waiting to receive thee gra- 
ciously, and to love thee freely. Repair to the throne of the heavenly 
grace. You cannot spread your sorrows there in vain. If tempted to 
despair, try his word. No one ever trusted and was confounded. Cry, 
" Lord, I am oppressed ; undertake for me." " Come," says the Reliever 
of every burden, " Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, 
and I will give you rest." 

The Athenian said, " I should have been lost, if I had not been lost." 
What made the prodigal think of home, but want ? Where did Manas- 
seh find his father's God, but in affliction ? We often feel for those who 
have been reduced, and say they have seen better days. But if in their 
prosperity they forgot God that made them, and lightly esteemed the 
Rock of their salvation, and in their adversity have thrown themselves 
into his arms, these, these are the best days they ever saw, and they will 
draw forth their praise for ever. This, my suffering friend, may be your 
case, and will be if you seek unto God, and unto God commit vour 



OCTOBER 2. 473 

cause. He can, he will turn the shadow of death into the morning, and 
you shall join the multitude who are saying, It is good for me that I 

HAVE BEEN AFFLICTED. 



OCTOBER 2. 
"I will hear what God the Lord will speak." Psa. 85 : 8. 

-And Surely, if He speaks, in whatever way he expresses himself, it 
becomes us to hear, and to hear immediately. Let us not therefore "be 
unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." There are 
four cases in which we should adopt this resolution. 

First, I will hear what God the Lord will speak as to doctrinal truth. 
If error were harmless, we should not be commanded to "buy the truth, 
and sell it not," to " prove all things, and to hold fast that which is 
good." It is of unspeakable importance to have proper sentiments on 
all religious subjects. But concerning all these subjects different opin- 
ions prevail, and it is certain that all these opinions cannot be true. 
Hence persons are often perplexed, especially at the beginning of the 
Christian life. And what in this case are we to do? One cries, Lo, 
here is Christ ; and another, Lo, there. Be it so. "VVe are not left 
without witness. It would be sad and dangerous had we no rule to go 
by, no standard to which we could appeal. But we have such an ad- 
vantage. And in things of moment it is plain and obvious. And it is 
accessible ; it is in our possession ; it is the testimony of God recorded 
in the Scriptures. I will therefore make no system of divinity drawn 
up by fallible creatures like myself my oracle, but enter at once the 
temple of revelation, and inquire there. I will call no man master 
upon earth : one is my master, even Christ, and all besides are only 
brethren. I need not ask what Arminius or Calvin speaks ; they them- 
selves are to be judged out of this book, and what they deliver is no 
farther binding upon me than as they can say, " Thus saith the Lord." 
f. To the law, and to the testimony : if they speak not according to this 
word, it is because there is no light in them." "I will hear what God 
the Lord will speak. v In this inspired volume I have the judgment of 
God himself upon every subject with which it is necessary for me to be 
acquainted. And I will go to it, not with a previous bias, but open to 
conviction — not to dictate, but to learn. I will not be influenced to 
embrace a doctrine because it is easy of comprehension, or to reject it 
because it is mysterious. It is infinitely reasonable to believe whatever 
God speaks, and my only concern is to ascertain what he has spoken. 

Secondly, I will hear what God the Lord will speak as to my move- 
ments in life. How ignorant and short-sighted are we ! How liable to 
mistake ! How incapable of distinguishing between appearances and 
realities, and of deciding what will be good or evil for us eventually ! 
Surely we have erred and suffered enough already to convince us that 
" the way of man is not in himself." How much depends on one wrong 
step, as it regards our comfort, usefulness, and reputation ! Even when 



474 MORNING EXERCISES. 

the iniquity is pardoned, the natural consequences may long operate. 
They often cannot be remedied, and so repentance is quartered upon 
the offender all his days. How frequently has this been exemplified in 
irreligious marriages, and changes of residence and business, through 
fancy, pride, or avarice, or even good but mistaken motives. A Chris- 
tian, therefore, should take every step of importance — and what step 
may not be important? — feeling a responsibility that makes him trem- 
ble, and an anxiety that urges him to seek counsel from above. 1' I 
will hear what God the Lord will speak," and regulate my marches by 
the cloud. But while I wait upon God, I must also wait for him, and 
integrity and uprightness are to preserve me while I do so. For he 
tells me, that if a man sets up idols in his heart, and comes to inquire of 
him, he will answer him, but " according to his idols." And this is 
done, not only by a penal influence, bat by a natural effect, for every 
thing will be colored according to the passion through which I view it. 
If, therefore, I do not consult God sincerely, it would be better for me 
not to do it at all, for it can only dishonor him, and delude myself. 
But if I go in simplicity, and say, " Lord, what wilt thou have me do ?" 
I come within reach of the promise, " In all thy ways acknowledge him, 
and he shall direct thy paths." 

Thirdly, I will hear what God the Lord will speak as to the dispensa- 
tions of his providence. Nothing is more trying than what an old divine 
calls " a dumb affliction ■" so that when we put our ear to it, we can seem 
to hear nothing as to what it implies Or intends. Varying the metaphor a 
little, Job was in such a state of ignorance and perplexity : " Behold, I go 
forward, but he is not there ; and backward, but I cannot perceive him : 
on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him : he 
hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him." In such a 
condition, it affords relief to be able to add, " but he knoweth the way 
that I take." Yet duty requires that we should have some knowledge 
of it ourselves. A natural man is only concerned to escape from trouble, 
but the Christian is anxious to have it sanctified and improved. He is 
commanded to hear the rod. "While God chastens he teaches. I must 
therefore be in a learning frame of mind. I must say unto God, "Show 
me wherefore thou contendest with me." "I will hear what, by this 
event, God the Lord will speak." 

Fourthly, I will hear what he will say also in answer to prayer. 
Here is a thing, I fear, generally disregarded. How many petitions 
are never thought of after they have been delivered. We knock at the 
door, and go away, and never even look back to see whether it be 
opened. Can we expect that God will attend to those prayers which 
we contemn ourselves? Are such addresses any thing better than a 
mockery of the Supreme Being ? 

Let us therefore hear what he says in reply to our requests. Is it 
not pleasing to know that we are not forsaken nor forgotten of our best 
Friend ; to be able to rectify a gloomy conclusion ; to reason from the 
past to the future ; and like a beggar, to derive encouragement from 



OCTOBER 3. 475 

success ? " I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes : nev- 
ertheless, thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto 
thee." " I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my 
tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me : 
but verily God hath heard me ; he hath attended to the voice of my 
prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor 
his mercy from me. 7 ' "I love the Lord, because he hath heard my 
voice, and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, 
therefore will I call upon him as long as I live." 



OCTOBER 3. 

" Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand." Phil. 4 : 5. 

What moderation? Moderation with regard to your appetites. 
Some make a god of their belly, and glory in their shame. Many in- 
dulge in eating and drinking beyond the demands of bodily refreshment 
or the allowances of health. Your moderation with regard to your 
passions. You are to be angry and sin not. The sun must not go 
down upon } 7 our wrath. The fear, the joy, the love, the grief, allowable 
in themselves, may become excessive in the degree. Your moderation 
with regard to the distinctions of life. These are to differ from "the 
pride of life/ 7 in apparel, in furniture, in servants. Your moderation 
in professional pursuits and the cares of trade : diligent in business, but 
not " entangling yourselves in the affairs of this life ; 77 content with 
sober and solid gain, and not, by hazard and speculations, making haste 
to be rich. Your moderation in the exaction of rights, whether pecun- 
iary, in declining the rigor of the law for debt ; or personal, in waiv- 
ing the claims of authority and preference, as Abraham did in the case 
of Lot. Your moderation in your opinions and. zeal. Many things in 
religion are of far less importance than others, even if true. But even 
the truth of them is not easily ascertained, and we see men of equal 
talent and piety on each side of the question. The truth generally lies 
in the middle, and he is commonly nearest to it who is abused by both 
the opposite parties. 

And what a reason is there to enforce this admonition, "The Lord 
is at hand.' 7 The word signifies nigh, either as to place or time. If 
we take it as to place, it refers to his presence. I am a God at hand, 
and not afar off. He is about our path and our lying down, and is ac- 
quainted with all our ways. Thus he is always nigh to see and observe, 
to aid or oppose, to bless or to punish. 

If we take it as to time, it refers to his coming : "The coming of 
the Lord drawing near. 77 This is true, not only as to the certainty of 
the event and the confidence of faith, but as to his real approach. If 
the Lord was at hand when Paul wrote this epistle, how much more 
since near two thousand years have rolled away. But he comes by 
death. And this, as to consequence, is the same to us as his coming to 
judgment. And there is but a step between us and death. 






476 MORNING EXERCISES. 

If a multitude of people were assembled together, and behaved tu- 
multuously, and the king was coming along the road, "The king is at 
hand," would instantly reduce them to order and silence, and every eye 
would be turned towards him. If a number of criminals, forgetful of 
their condition, were improperly amusing themselves or striving to- 
gether, and a signal told them the judge was entering the town to try 
them, what an effect would this, instantly have upon their mind and 
their conduct. But what is your case? He is not only your Sovereign, 
but your Judge. And " behold, the Judge staxdeth before the door!" 

How lamentable is it, that to enforce what is wise and just and 
good in itself, we should need such motives. And how sad is it that 
these motives after all should have so little influence over us ; that we 
should be constantly reminded of such a Being — led back to the grace 
of his first coming, and forward to the glory of his second coming — and 
think, and feel, and speak, and act, and live as we do ! " So teach us to 
number our clays, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." 



OCTOBER 4. 



"The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the 
perfect day." Pro v. 4:18. 

"What does this fine image imply ? "What does it express ? Solo- 
mon traces the resemblance between the path of the just and the rising 
light in three articles. Each shines ; each shines more and more; each 
shines more and more unto the perfect day. 

The rising light shines. It is the very nature of it to do so. It thus 
shows itself, and renders other things visible ; for whatsoever doth 
make manifest is light. "Without this, the works of the field and the 
human face divine would be all a blank. But the shining of the light 
lays open their beauties, and fills us with admiration and praise. Thus 
the Christian's path breaks out of obscurity ; the darkness is past, and 
the true light shineth. His religion is not only real, but apparent. 
And as it need not and should not be hid, so it will not and cannot be 
hid. Its operation will evince its existence ; its principles will display 
themselves in its practice. There will be the work of faith, and the 
labor of love, and the patience of hope, and the fruit of the Spirit. Pity 
will get into the eye ; meekness will smile in the features ; the law of 
kindness will dwell upon the tongue ; the hand, ready to communicate, 
will unawares slide into the pocket. They that were in darkness will 
show themselves, and in a thousand ways their light will shine before 
men. 

But the shining of the rising light is noble and glorious. It is one 
of the most splendid appearances in nature. The rising sun is a bride- 
groom coming out of his chamber. We hardly wonder the poor hea- 
then, in the absence of revelation, should worship it. The lustre is 
often too powerful for the naked eye. And how was it with Moses 
after communion with God? His face shone so that the Israelites 



OCTOBER 4. 477 

could not steadfastly behold the glory of his countenance. He was not 
aware. of it himself till, seeing the people dazzled, he was obliged to take 
a veil. And the humility of the Christian may keep him from perceiv- 
ing his own excellences, but others will take knowledge of them, and 
his profiting will appear unto all men. And nothing is so impressive 
and influential as the life of a Christian when he walks worthy of the 
vocation wherewith he is called. It was not necessary for the first be- 
lievers at Jerusalem to lay down rules to exclude improper characters 
from their communion ; their purity, their dignity, their majesty repelled 
them. "And of the rest durst no man join himself to them ; but all the 
people magnified them." 

Yet the shining of the rising light is not mere lustre. It is a source 
of usefulness as well as of admiration. It warms and enlivens. It fer- 
tilizes the gardens and the fields. If makes the valleys to stand thick 
with corn, and the little hills to rejoice on every side. And so Jesus 
went about doing good. And so Christians are blessings in all the 
places wherein they move. Let us make this image our model in our 
endeavors to serve our generation. The sun says nothing. It does 
good without noise. It shines unasked, constantly, impartially. It 
rises on the evil as well as on the good. So may we be merciful. 

But the shining light shines more and more. So does the path of the 
just. His religion is a gradual and progressive thing. We therefore 
read of growing in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Sav- 
iour. Of the Thessalonians it is said, Their faith grew exceedingly ; 
and the love of every one of them towards each other abounded. As 
far as we are stationary in our attainments, we are censured and con- 
demned by the image. Put to derive comfort from it, it is not neces- 
sary that we should be every thing at once. Nothing in nature reaches 
its perfection suddenly. The babe proceeds by slow degrees into the 
man. The blade precedes the full corn in the ear. Let us not despise 
the day of small things. What was the oak once but an acorn ? What 
is the dawn to the noon ? 

But the shining light shines more and more unto the perfect day, The 
allusion is not taken from a meteor, that blazes for a moment and then 
disappears ; nor from the morning cloud and early dew, that soon pass- 
eth away ; but from the rising sun, that always attains its end, and com- 
pletes what it begins, rising upwards and shining onwards till it is day, 
perfect day. 

When did the sun ever make a dawn, and not carry it into full 
day? Who can drive him back, or stop his course? If it had en- 
emies, and they cursed its beams, the rage would be as vain as it 
would be unreasonable. " He rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 
His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto 
the ends of it : and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof." So 
shall it be with all those who are set in motion for eternity by di- 
vine grace. " They that love Him shall be as the sun when he goeth 
forth in his might." There is no enchantment or divination against 






478 MORNING EXERCISES. 

them. In all opposition they shall be more than conquerors. He who 
is the Author shall also be the Finisher of their faith. They shall soon 
lose all their infirmities. They shall emerge into perfect knowledge, 
holiness, and joy. And " then shall the righteous shine forth as the 
sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears to hear let 

HIM HEAR." 

Who can help recalling the beautiful lines of Dr. Watts, which, 
though written for the infant mind, are worthy the perusal of angels ? 

" How fine has the day been, how bright was the sun, 
How lovely and joyful the course that he run ; 
Though he rose in a mist when his race he begun, 

And there followed some droppings of rain. 
But now the fair traveller 's come to the west,' 
His rays are all gold, #nd his beauties are best; 
He paints the sky gay as he sinks to his rest, 

And foretells a bright rising again. 

" Just such is the Christian. His course he begins 
Like the sun in a mist, while he mourns for his sins 
And melts into tears ; then he breaks out and shines, 

And travels his heavenly way : 
But when he comes nearer to finish his race, 
Like a fine setting sun, he looks richer in grace, 
And gives a sure hope, at the end of his days, 

Of rising in brighter array." 



OCTOBER 5. 

"Who is gone into heaven." 1 Pet. 3 : 22. 

Many had gone there before. Abel was the first that entered ; and 
it is encouraging to think that the first victim of death was a partaker 
of glory. Human nature was found in heaven before it was seen in 
hell. How long he was alone there we know not. But others soon fol- 
lowed, and our Saviour must have found there a multitude which no 
man could number. 

But though many had gone into heaven before, none of them had 
gone in the same way and manner with himself. Others had entered 
without their bodies, but he had entered incarnately. Two had indeed 
entered embodied, but they did not take their bodies from the grave. 
Enoch and Elias died not, but were only changed. Jesus died, and was 
buried ; and passed to glory from the tomb. Others entered heaven 
by mere favor, presenting no claim from their worthiness and obedi- 
ence ; but he entered by merit. He deserved all the glory he obtained : 
it was no more than the reward of his doing and suffering. Others 
entered as private individuals : and their entering did not insure the 
entrance of others, not even of their friends and relations. Religion 
is a personal thing, and it could not be inferred that because the hus- 
band or the father was glorified, the wife or child would follow. But 
he entered as a public character, as the head and representative of his 
people ; and because he lives, they shall live also. Hence says the 



OCTOBER 5. 479 

apostle, " He hath quickened us together with Christ, and raised us up 
and made us sit together with him in the heavenly places." 

It is expedient for us, therefore, that he went away ; and as Joseph's 
going from the prison to the palace was not only his own advancement, 
but the salvation of his father's house, so Jesus is gone into heaven not 
only to be crowned with glory and honor, but to execute the remainder 
of his mediatorial work on behalf of the redeemed. "For if, when we 
were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, 
much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." But did 
he not say, when he expired, " It is finished ?" He did, and it was fin- 
ished, and nothing could be added to it. But what was finished ? The 
procuring of salvation only — not the application of it. The former 
was done upon the cross, the latter is done upon the throne. What he 
suffered to acquire, he is exalted to bestow. He is exalted to be a 
Prince and a Saviour ; to give repentance unto Israel, and forgiveness 
of sins. 

Even in his priestly character it behooved him not only to suffer, but 
to enter into his glory. The apostle therefore says, If he were on earth 
he could not be a priest, because he could then only have fulfilled one 
part of the office. For the high-priest not only offered the sacrifice, 
but entered the holy place, and sprinkled the blood upon the mercy- 
seat, and burned incense, and made intercession for the people. Jesus 
therefore, after dying for us, entered into heaven itself, there to appear 
in the presence of God for us. By his own blood he entered in once 
into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. " Where- 
fore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God 
by him, seeing he ever liyeth to make intercession for them." 

Here he fought, and overcame. But the conqueror must have his 
triumph. He must display his spoils and enrich the multitude. He 
therefore ascended on high, leading captivity captive, and received 
gifts for men, even for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might 
dwell among them. , " And he gave some, apostles ; and some, proph- 
ets ; and some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and teachers ; for the 
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying 
of the body of Christ." 

He was a prophet by his own preaching. But how local, how con- 
fined and successless was his personal ministry. The work was to be 
done by another ministry. Corporeally, he was to withdraw; "But," 
said he, "the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father 
will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things 
to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." "I have 
yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. How- 
beit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all 
truth ; for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, 
that shall he speak : and he will show you things to come." Thus he 
considered his personal presence and agency far inferior to the dispen- 
sation of the Spirit. And yet some are looking for his bodily advent 



480 MORXIXG EXERCISES. 

again, as if this was to effect what the Holy Ghost could not accom- 
plish. What purpose is to be executed in the spread of the gospel, or 
the conversion of souls, or the glorification of the church, to which the 
energy of the Spirit is not adequate ? Not by might, nor by power, 
but by my Spirit, saith the Lord. Were he here in his body, he would 
be confined to one place at a time, and many would envy the honor of 
seeing him in Tain ; but in his Spirit he can be everywhere, and enjoyed 
of all at once. 



OCTOBER 6. 



' ; I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were." Psa. 39 : 12. 
So life was viewed and felt by David. He was very superior to 
many of his ancestors. He had wealth and power and honor, and 
reigned the greatest monarch of the East. But no condition can make 
the heir of immortality a citizen here. Others are strangers and 
sojourners, as to the transitoriness of their continuance in this world,, 
and the certainty of their removal from it, but not as to their disposi- 
tion. They mind earthly things, and would be glad to live here always. 
But the child of God is in principle what he is in fact, and in experi- 
ence what he is in destination. He is also born from above, and bound 
for glory. And though he is detained here in a foreign land for a 
while, for the discharge and the management of certain duties and 
interests, yet he thinks, even while thus engaged, of leaving it, in due 
time, for his own country, where his best relations reside, where lies his 
inheritance, and where he is to dwell for ever. 

" There is my house, my portion fair ; 
My kindred and my friends are there, 

And my abiding home : 
For me my elder brethren stay, 
And angels beckon me away, 

And Jesus bids me come."' 

Am I a stranger and a sojourner with God ? Let me realize, let 
me exemplify the condition. Let me look for the treatment such char- 
acters commonly meet with. Like widows and orphans, they are often 
imposed upon, and wronged and injured. They are turned into ridicule 
and reproach, because of their speech, their dress, their manners, their 
usages. And Christians are a peculiar people. They are men won- 
dered at. The Saviour tells them not to marvel if the world hates 
them, for they are not of the world, even as he is not of the world. 
This treatment is in reality a privilege, rather than a matter of com- 
plaint. It is when I am admired and caressed, and I find every thing 
agreeable in my circumstances, it is then I feel something of the settler. 
But the disadvantages of my state make me think of home. These 
induce me to arise, and depart hence, because this is not my rest. 

And surely if any of my own nation be near me, I shall be intimate 
with them. "We all know the heart of stransrers. We all feel the same 



OCTOBER 1. 481 

preferences. The same hope inspires us ; the same end unites us. 
We shall speak often one to another. We shall contrast our present 
with our future condition. We shall inquire when we heard from home, 
and when we think of departing for it ; and thus beguile the hours and 
relieve the absence. 

And let me not be entangled in the affairs of this life. Let me keep 
myself as detached as possible from things which do not concern me. 
Let me not embarrass myself as an intermeddler and busybody in other 
men's matters. But let me study to be quiet, and to do my own busi- 
ness. Let me pray for the peace of the country through which I am 
passing, and be thankful for every advantage I enjoy in my temporary 
exile. 

And let my affection be set on things that are above, and my conver- 
sation be always in heaven. Let me be not impatient for home, but 
prizing it, and longing for it ; and judging of myself by my relation to it. 
Who has not joined in the proverbial sentiment, " Home is home, how- 
ever homely ?" We read of some Swiss soldiers on foreign service, who 
were so affected with a song that vividly recalled to mind their native 
valleys, and the houses in which they were born, that the officers were 
obliged to forbid the use of it. But Oh, my Father's house! Here 
toil ; there rest. Here trouble ; there joy and gladness. Here darkness ; 
there light. Here sin ; there spotless purity. Here the tents of Mesech 
and Kedar ; there the spirits of just men made perfect, and the innu- 
merable company of angels, and the Lord of all. " With such views," 
says Dr. Goodwin, "let who will be miserable, I will not — I cannot." 



OCTOBER 7. 



"I will feedrav flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God." Ezek. 
34:15. 

This is spoken of the subjects of divine grace. 

Individually considered, they are called sheep to remind us of their 
personal qualities — their weakness, meekness, gentleness, harmlessness. 
patience, and submission. Some, in their affliction, toss like a wild bull 
in a net. Lay hold of a swine, and the neighborhood is alarmed. But 
observe the fleecy sufferer. She indeed palpitates. And the Christian 
may palpitate, and tremble, and be ready to faint ; but his very manner 
silently says, I know, Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that 
thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Let thy loving-kindness be for 
my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant. 

Distinctively considered, they are not all sheep. Many of them are 
lambs. But these are sheep in nature and degree, and are equally dear 
to the Shepherd with the older part of his charge. Yea, he gathers the 
lambs with his arms, and carries them in his bosom ; and gently leads 
those that are with young. The margin is, those that have young. 
Lowth renders it, "The nursing ewes he will gently lead." And we 
are persuaded that the force of this tender image applies to the lambs, 

Morn. Exer. 31 



482 MORNING EXERCISES. 

and not to the mothers. If the latter were driven on fast, the former 
could not keep up with them, especially in rough ground ; and thus 
losing their maternal supplies, would droop and perish. 

Collectively they are a flock. And one flock only, according to our 
Saviour's words, " one fold and one shepherd." Whatever differences 
there are among them, they are only the differences of sheep and of 
lambs. What difficulty is there in believing this? Essential sameness 
is not destroyed by circumstantial distinction. Unity is not incompati- 
ble with variety. Many branches make but one tree ; many members 
but one body. Bigots would banish harmony from the church of God, 
for there can be no harmony where all the sounds are the same. God 
promised that he would give his people one heart and one way. And 
our Lord prayed that his followers might be one. Have this prayer and 
this promise been fulfilled ? We dare not suppose the contrary ; but if 
they have been accomplished, we may see what kind of oneness was 
intended. Not a oneness of opinion ; not a sameness in forms of wor- 
ship and modes of discipline, for these never have been found ; but a 
oneness, a sameness consistent with the variations that have obtained 
among them. A unity of spirit ; a community of principles ; a fellow- 
ship of privileges : all being redeemed by the same blood, justified by 
the same righteousness, renewed by the same grace, and joint-heirs of 
the same glory. " There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither 
bond nor free, there is neither male nor female ; for ye are all one in 
Christ Jesus." 

And is this flock ever forsaken or forgotten by him ? "I will feed 
my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God." But 
tell me, thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest; where thou 
makest thy flock to rest at noon. For why should I be as one that turn- 
eth aside by the flocks of thy companions? 



" Fain would I feed among thy sheep, 
Among them rest, among them sleep. 



What says David ? " The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not want. He 
maketh me to lie down in green pastures ; he leadeth me beside the 
still waters." 

This is grace. What is glory ? Hear the angel to John : " They 
shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more ; neither shall the sun 
light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of 
the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of 
waters ; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." 

There is another flock in the world. This consists of goats. They 
also have a shepherd. It is the devil, and they are taken captive by 
him at his will. He also has under-shepherds to do his work, and to 
him they are amenable ; and what a reward will he render them ! But 
his flock, his direful flock — what food, what repose have they? What 
in time? What in eternity? The way of transgressors is hard. The 
end of these things is death, the second death. And if any of them 



OCTOBER 8. 483 

should be intermixed with the flock of Christ, and escape detection 
here, " before him shall be gathered all nations : and he shall separate 
them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats : 
and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left." 
" And these shall go away into everlasting punishment ; but the right- 
eous into life eternal." 



OCTOBER 8. 



" But in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests 
be made known unto God." Phil. 4 : 6. 

.This is a simple and pleasing account of prayer ; it is the making 
of our requests known unto God. He indeed knows them perfectly 
before we express them. But he will know them from us, that we may 
be properly affected with our own wants, and prepared for the displays 
of his goodness and grace. And the apostle reminds us of three things 
very worthy of our attention with regard to prayer. 

First, it is the prevention and cure of care. " Be careful for noth- 
ing ; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving 
let your requests be made known unto God." All feel anxiety to be a 
galling load. But the question is, how are we to disencumber ourselves 
of the burden ? All acknowledge the disorder, and many remedies have 
been prescribed for the cure. But if some of them affect the paroxysm 
of the complaint, none of them reach the root of the malady. The com- 
monness of the case, the brevity of time, the uselessness of giving way 
to solicitude, and the injurious effects of it — all these are true and 
proper, but they do not go far enough. The fact is, if we are not to be 
careful, some one must care for us. And the thing is, and nothing less 
than this can tranquillize the mind, to be under the management of Him 
who loves us better than we love ourselves, knows unerringly what is 
good for us, and is able to make every thing conduce to our welfare — 
"casting all our care on him; for he careth for us." And this is done 
by prayer. Hezekiah took the letter, and went and spread it before 
the Lord. Hannah poured out her heart before God, and her counte- 
nance was no more sad. In whatever has befallen or foreboded him, 
every believer has made the trial, and is able to say, with Asaph, " But 
it is good for me to draw near to God." 

Secondly, it is to be very extensively, yea, universally performed. 
Not in some things or in many things, but in every thing, by prayer and 
supplication, we are to make our requests known unto God. Some only 
pray when God's chastening hand is upon them. In their affliction they 
seek him early. And this, as far as it goes, is not to be censured. 
Many, like Manasseh, have first sought God in trouble. Prayer is 
peculiarly seasonable in distress. But though prayer may commence in 
affliction, it is not to cease with it. It is not to be confined to it. 
Prayer is equally needful to preserve and sanctify us in prosperity. 
It is not praying on extraordinary occasions, but on common ones, that 






434 MORNING EXERCISES. 

evinces a pious frame of mind. Do we delight ourselves in the Al- 
mighty? Do we always call upon God? In all thy ways, says Solo- 
mon, acknowledge him. It is thus alone we give God the glory of his 
universal providence — not thinking, with the Assyrians, that he is the 
God of the hills only, bat also of the valleys, and that a sparrow falleth 
not to the ground without our heavenly Father, and that the very hairs 
of our head are all numbered. Some imagine that many things are too 
little to be the subjects of prayer. A distinction is indeed to be made 
between the particularity and minuteness of private and public prayer. 
But let us remember that we are not to consider any thing too little to 
bring before God, that God does not deem beneath his notice ; and also 
that it is difficult, if not impossible, for us in many cases to ascertain 
what is little. Events the most important often hinge on circumstances 
apparently the most trivial. Joseph's going to inquire after the wel- 
fare of his brethren on the plain seemed a slight thing. Yet he that 
morning took leave of his father for more than twenty-one years, and 
went a way by which he never returned. Saul sought his father's asses — 
a thing that seemed devoid of consequence ; but perhaps he perished 
owing to it ; for then began his prosperity, which destroyed him — when 
Samuel met him, and anointed him king over Israel. You go out, not 
knowing what a day may bring forth as to your happiness or misery. 
Before the evening you may meet accidentally with a connection that 
shall prove a source of joy or suffering through life. " Why, this is 
enough to make one live and move in constant trembling." This is not 
the design of it ; but it is designed to induce you in every thing to com- 
mit your way and your works unto the Lord. 

Thirdly, it is to be always attended with a pleasing companion. 
" But in every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let 
your requests be made known unto God." And does not this imply 
that we can never approach God without having cause for gratitude? 
Hence it is said, " In every thing give thanks." Whatever be our con- 
dition, we have much more to be grateful for than to complain of. 
Complain! What can ever justify complaint? ''Why should a living 
man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?" Let our losses 
and afflictions be what they may, he has not dealt with us after our 
desert, nor rewarded us according to our iniquity. Yea, the trials 
themselves are the effects of love, and designed to work together for 
our highest welfare. 

And does it not teach us that whenever we go to God to ask for 
fresh favors, we should be sure to acknowledge the reception of former 
ones ? How seldom is this the case ! How much selfishness is there 
even in our devotions ! How much more of our worship is occupied in 
petition than in praise! Urged by our necessities, we go and call upon 
God in prayer ; but when we have succeeded, we forget to return to 
give him the glory that is due unto his holy name. " Were there not 
ten cleansed? But where are the nine?" Where is even Hezekiah? 
"He rendered not according to the benefit done him." 



OCTOBER 9. 485 

OCTOBER 9. 

"I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought." Hosea 13 : 5. 

This " wilderness " means the vast desert in which the Jews wan- 
dered for forty years between Egypt and Canaan. It is characterized 
by one attribute, " A land of great drought," And this was enough to 
render it trying. But it was in every respect formidable and repulsive. 
Witness the language of Jeremiah : " Neither said they, Where is the 
Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through 
the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land 
of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man 
passed through, and where no man dwelt?" 

But here God says, " I knew thee." It cannot mean a mere acquaint- 
ance with their condition and circumstances ; for what can be hid from 
Him whose understanding is infinite ? But it intends two things. 

First, he knew them there so as to provide for them. Thus it marks 
his goodness, and forms a contrast with the conduct of many of our fel- 
low-creatures. A friend is born for adversity ; and to him that is 
afflicted, pity should be showed from his friend. But, alas, this is rarely 
exemplified. They who were intimate enough with their connections 
before, scarcely know them when they are in distress. The flower 
which, when fresh and fragrant, was put into the bosom, is, when with- 
ered and dry, thrown away. The garden which, while yielding every 
kind of gratification, is constantly visited, is deserted in winter. But 
it is otherwise with God. Though he never leaves his people, he has 
peculiarly promised to be with them in trouble. David acknowledged 
this : " Thou hast known my soul in adversity." And has he not known 
our souls in the same state ? Has he not been better to us than our 
fears? Has he not proved himself "a very present help in trouble?" 
So it was with Israel. He found them in a desert land, in a waste, 
howling wilderness. The situation afforded them no supplies, but he 
allowed them to want no good thing. He led them by a pillar of cloud 
by day, and a pillar of fire by night ; healed the bitter waters of Ma- 
rah ; fetched them honey out of a rock, and oil out of the flinty rock ; 
rained down manna upon them ; suffered not their raiment to wax old 
upon them, nor their foot to swell in travelling ; vanquished their ene- 
mies, gave them ordinances, and sent his Holy Spirit to instruct them ; 
so that Moses well said, "Happy art thou, Israel; who is like unto 
thee, people saved of the Lord !" 

Secondly, he knew them there, so as to approve of them and acknow- 
ledge them. It is undeniable that the word know has this meaning, 
when it is said, "The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous." " If a 
man love God, the same is known of him." " Know them that labor 
among you." But did God thus know them in the wilderness? Not 
absolutely, but comparatively. They followed him out of Egypt, and 
not one lingered behind. At the Red sea they sung his praise. At 
Sinai they cheerfully and unreservedly acceded to his covenant. And 






486 MORNING EXERCISES. 

though they were guilty of many perversenesses and rebellions, yet they 
never wholly relinquished his worship, and established idolatry and 
wickedness by a law, as they afterwards did in Canaan. While we 
dwell on imperfections, God loves to make the best of things. Sarah 
spoke unadvisedly with her lips, but she uttered one good thing : she 
called Abraham lord, and this only is mentioned to her praise. Job 
cursed the day of his birth ; but when James refers to him, we hear 
only of the patience of Job. And observe God's gracious testimony 
concerning Israel at this period : " Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, 
saying, Thus saith the Lord, I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, 
the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilder- 
ness, in a land that was not sown. Israel was holiness unto the Lord, 
and the first-fruits of his increase : all that devour him shall offend : 
evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord." 

Adversity will not of itself secure godliness. Persons may be re- 
duced, and not humbled. They may be afflicted, and God not know 
them in their distress. Yet, in general, if you observe others, and re- 
view your own experience, you will find times of affliction have been 
more friendly to religion than seasons of ease and prosperity. 

When has God known your conscience most wakeful, and your 
heart most watchful against sin? " Before I was afflicted," says David, 
" I went astray ; but now have I kept thy word." 

When has God known your souls most weaned from the world, and 
willing to leave it? When all was agreeable and inviting, or when 
every thing conspired to tell you that this is not your rest? 

When has He known you value most the communion of saints, the 
means of grace, the preaching of the word ? When did your eye bedew 
your Bible ? When, pressing the sacred volume to your bosom, did you 
say, " Unless thy laws had been my delight, I should have perished in 
mine affliction V 

When has He known you most frequently and earnestly addressing 
the throne of his grace ? In their affliction they will seek me early. In 
the day of my trouble I sought the Lord. Even the Saviour himself, 
being in an agony, prayed more earnestly. " my people," says he 
here, " you and I were better acquainted in the wilderness, when you 
were in a low condition. You were then left to my immediate care, 
and you lived daily by faith. Then you made me many a visit, but now 
we seldom meet." 

Such is the effect of indulgence and of fulness. He therefore im- 
mediately adds, " According to their pasture, so were they filled : they 
were filled, and their heart was exalted ; therefore have they forgotten 
me." 






OCTOBER 10 487 

OCTOBER 10. 

" And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of SiDai ; and 
the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran." Num. 10 : 12. 

If the Jews, as the apostle assures us, were our ensamples, in noth- 
ing do they more represent the experience of Christians than in their 
progress from Egypt to Canaan. 

They had now continued many months in the wilderness of Sinai, 
where the law was given, and all the ordinances of divine worship were 
established. There they had committed idolatry, and provoked the 
Most High to anger ; and there he proved himself the just God and the 
Saviour. He forgave their iniquities, but took vengeance on their in- 
ventions. They were now to enter the wilderness of Paran, a vast des- 
ert of several days' journey, and where the greater part of their subse- 
quent stations were fixed. " And the children of Israel took their 
journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai ; and the cloud rested in the wil- 
derness of Paran." Thus they only marched from one wilderness into an- 
other. And is not this the case with all our changes in this world? 
Let us look at a few of them, and we shall see that, whatever they may 
promise as to satisfaction and happiness, they leave us much the same as 
they find us. 

Is it not so when we pass from one period to another ? Every age 
has been full of complaints ; and here it is remarkable, instead of sup- 
posed improvement, the inquiry has always been, " What is the cause 
that the former days were better than these?" We end one year with 
a kind of gloom, and hail the arrival of another ; but the months are 
found the same with those which had previously passed away. The 
winter is not without cold, nor the summer without heat. We feel in 
our early days the confinement of school and the restraints of a father's 
house ; we long to be at our own disposal, and to enter life for ourselves. 
But where is the man that has not exclaimed, " that I was as in the 
days of my youth !" Much is said of an agreeable and peaceable old 
age. Who does not desire many days, that he may see good ? yet is 
their strength labor and sorrow. Another girds and leads us whither 
we would not. In vain we look around for our early and endeared 
connections. Lover and friend is put far from us, and our acquaintance 
into darkness. The days are come in which we say, " I have no pleas- 
ure in them." " All that cometh is vanity." 

Is it not the same when we pass from one residence to another ? 
There are few but have known local changes ; and some, by a train of 
events, have been led to pitch their tents in situations the most remote 
from all their former expectations. Sometimes a removal is not at our 
own option. In other cases it seems very inviting and desirable. It 
may have preferable claims. But still it is a removal in the wilderness, 
not out of it. To Abraham, God said, " Get thee out of thy country, 
and from thy father's house, into a land that I will tell thee of;" and 
this was the land of promise. Yet even there he shared in the troubles 



488 MORNING EXERCISES. 

of his nephew Lot, went for years without an heir to his wealth, was 
tried in offering up his son Isaac, and buried his Sarah out of his sight 
in the cave of Machpelah. There by faith he sojourned as in a strange 
country, dwelling in tabernacles — not at home, but looking for a city 
which had foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 

Is it not the same when we go from one condition to another? Many 
deem it a fine thing to pass from obscurity to splendor, forgetful that 
distinction and fame will draw forth envy, and excite evil speaking, 
and deprive us of the sweets of retirement and leisure. David rose 
from a shepherd's cottage to the grandeur of a palace, and then sighed, 
u that I had wings like a dove ; for then would I fly away, and be at 
rest." How wise was the Shunamite. When Elisha offered to speak 
for her to the king, " I dwell," said she, " among mine own people." 
Some deem it a great thing to rise from indigence to wealth. By their 
eagerness to acquire it, all seem to think, if they could have afflu- 
ence, they should want nothing. But does a man's life consist in the 
abundance of the things which he possesseth? His desires increase 
with his means, and in the midst of his sufficiency he is in straits. 

The same may be said in passing from activity to leisure. " Oh," 
says one, " when I have acquired so much, and can withdraw from the 
world where I have been so tried, I shall be happy." But to withdraw 
from the world is not so easy. Habits form a second nature. Few are 
qualified either to improve or to enjoy solitude. No kind or degree of 
exertion is so much at variance with happiness as having nothing to do. 
Ennui is an insect that preys upon all bodies at rest. Satan found 
David alone, and Eve alone. It is the will of nature and providence 
that we should pass from individual into social life ; and Solomon says, 
" He that findeth a wife, findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of 
the Lord." And the conjugal condition, wisely and piously entered, in 
a general way admits of more happiness than any other. But it may 
produce the keenest anguish. At best it cannot yield pure and unal- 
loyed felicity ; our affections becomes sources of anxiety and fear ; we 
share the pains as well as the pleasures of those who are one with us, 
and every delightful tie is mortal. How impatient are some to enter 
the parental relation. Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord, and 
the fruit of the womb is his reward. But the proverb truly calls them, 
Certain cares, and uncertain comforts. How often do the father and 
mother mourn over undutifulness, depravity, an early grave. " Child- 
hood and youth are vanity." 

"This is a very gloomy view of things." But is it not a true one, a 
scriptural one? And if so, should it not check presumption and vain 
confidence? Should it not inspire sober and moderate expectation, 
with regard to every earthly scene, in those who are just entering life, 
and in those who are on the verge of any change in it ? 

Is there, however, nothing to encourage and comfort under such a 
dispensation ? Much every way. Such a state of things is not casual. 
"The children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of 



OCTOBER 11. 489 

Sinai ; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran. 77 Therefore, 
though they removed from one desert into another, it was under the 
Lord's guidance and conduct. He determines the "bounds of our hab- 
itation, and administers all our comforts and our crosses. Such a state 
of things we are not unapprized of; and therefore, if we go on, buoyed 
up with hopes which must issue in disappointment, the fault is our own. 
All history, observation, experience, and Scripture tell us enough to 
prevent it. Such a state, too, is not peculiar to us : it has been known 
by all our brethren who were before us in the world, and will be real- 
ized by all those who come after us. Nor is it our final state. Another 
is discovered and promised. There remaineth a rest for the people of 
God — a better, even a heavenly country. A few more stages, and we 
shall remove to the glory of all lands. . No thorns there — no dangers 
there. After all our movements in the wilderness, we shall move out 
of it, and the days of our mourning will be ended. Neither is it an 
unmixed state. If we are not in Canaan, the desert we are in is not 
like Egypt, from whence we came out. Like the Jews, we have many 
advantages and comforts, though the place itself yields us nothing. We 
have the fiery cloudy pillar, and water from the rock, and the manna, 
and Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, and the grapes from Eshcol, and God 
himself, ; ' even our own God/ 7 who is nigh unto us in all that we call 
upon him for. Yea, the very difficulties, mortifications, and distresses 
of the state are useful. They try us and humble us, and do us good 
with regard to our latter end. But for these, how unwilling should we 
be to go. How vain would the admonition be, " Arise and depart," 
unless it were enforced with the conviction, " This is not your rest. 77 

Let this, therefore, keep us from the murmurings of discontent and 
the forebodings of despondency. Though serious, let us not be gloomy. 
And while free from delusive hopes, let us not yield to unbelieving 
fears, but thank God, and take courage. 



OCTOBER 11. 



" Ariel he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed 
them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and car- 
ried up into heaven." Luke 24 : 50, 51. 

From another scripture, it would seem that he ascended from mount 
Olivet. But there is no contradiction here. The same eminence is 
intended. On the one side of it, in the garden of Gethsemane, he suf- 
fered ; on the opposite side, stretching down to Bethany, he was received 
up into glory. And we see the latter was some considerable distance 
from the former, for of the attendants at his ascent it is said, "Then 
returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is 
from Jerusalem a Sabbath-day 7 s journey. 77 

Thither he seems to have led his disciples for the sake of abstrac- 
tion and privacy. He had said before his death, " The world seeth me 
no more. 77 They had seen him, and believed not. To what purpose 



490 MORNING EXERCISES. 

should other proofs be displayed before those on whose minds all his 
miracles had made no impression? And here was a sufficient number 
to attest the fact ; and reason cannot question the competency of these 
witnesses, either as to capacity or sincerit}\ 

But how wonderful and pleasing is the manner in which he took his 
leave. His disciples had often tried him. They had always betrayed 
great imperfections ; and after all their professions of attachment to 
him, as soon as he was apprehended, they all forsook him and fled. He 
might well have cast them off, but he loved them unto the end. He 
might have forgiven them, and yet have left them unseen, or silently, or 
with a frown, or with a rebuke, and this would almost have broken their 
hearts ; but "he lifted up his hands, and blessed them." Thus proclaim- 
ing the most cordial forgiveness ; thus assuring them that they might 
rely on his remembering them when he was come into his kingdom. 

Dr. Priestley is much perplexed about the present residence and 
employment of our Lord. It would appear, he says, from some intima- 
tions in the epistles, as if He still had occasionally something to do 
with the church ; but what this is we cannot conjecture. And there is 
no doubt, says he, but he is now somewhere on earth ; for what relation 
can he have to any other planet? But we are assured that while he 
blessed his disciples, he was parted from them, " and carried up into 
heaven." Where this is we are not informed. But it is obviously a 
place, for he was clothed in a body like our own ; and corporeally, he 
cannot be everywhere. But wherever he thus is, there is heaven. And 
this accords with his own language : " I go to prepare a place for you." 
And though heaven is to be considered more as a state than a place, and 
though even now our happiness does not depend essentially upon local 
situations, yet these have their importance. And what beautiful and 
enchanting places have we seen and heard of and imagined. But "eye 
hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of 
man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." 
What a residence was Eden before the fall of the first Adam ! But this 
fell infinitely short of the excellency of the abode of the second Adam, 
the Lord from heaven. 

"Oh, the delights, the heavenly joys, 
The glories of the place, 
Where Jesus sheds the brightest beams 



Well, let us think of him where he now is ; and let us inquire what 
is our duty with regard to him. Hear Paul : " Seeing then that we 
have a great high-priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son 
of God, let us hold fast our profession." We need not be afraid to own 
him, for he is able to take care of us, however we may be exposed. We 
need not be ashamed to avow him, for he has every thing to induce us 
to glory in him. Some comparative excuse might be made for Peter. 
When he denied him he was a prisoner at the bar, and going to be cru- 



OCTOBER 11. 491 

cified as a malefactor. But where is lie when we deny him ? In the 
midst of the throne, crowned with glory and honor — the Lord of all. 

Let us follow him in our thoughts and affections. Why seek we the 
living among the dead ? He is not here. He is in heaven ; and where 
our treasure is, there should our hearts be also. Let us therefore have 
our conversation in heaven, and seek those things that are above, where 
Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. There some of us have much 
to interest us now. We seem more related to another world than this ; 
and reflecting upon our losses, we sigh, and say, "What do I here ? and 
what have I here V How many among the blessed can we reckon up, 
who we feel are drawing us after them. But here is the principal 

attraction — 

"Jesus, my all, to heaven is gone, 
He whom I fix my hopes upon : 
His track I see, and I '11 pursue 
The narrow path, till him I view." 

And let us rejoice in the expectation of being for ever with him. 

I Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stead- 
fast, and which entereth into that within the veil ; whither the forerun- 
ner is for us entered, even Jesus." The anchor that holds the ship is 
cast out of it ; and our hope must go out of ourselves. The anchor 
lays hold of something invisible, and our hope enters heaven. Yet it 
would find nothing as the ground of its grasp there, if he was not there. 
But he is there, and there for us, and his beins^ there insures our arrival. 
He is the forerunner of the whole company. He said, as he entered, 

I I am come ; and all my people are coming." Unless we are there also, 
he would be disappointed; for he prayed, "Father, I will that they 
whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, to behold my glory." 
He would be unfaithful, for he said, " Where I am there shall also my 
servants be." He would be imperfect, for he is the bridegroom, and 
they are the bride : he is the head, and they are the members of his 
body. 

blessed confidence, let me feel thy influence in every duty and in 
every trial. Henry, after a sweet representation of the place, exclaims, 
I If this be heaven, that I was there !" How matchlessly simple and 
affecting does Bunyan end his story of Christian and Hopeful, after 
they had passed the river and approached the shining city, the object of 
all their solicitude. " Now just as the gates were opened to let in the 
men, I looked in after them. And behold, the city shone like the sun. 
The streets, also, were paved with gold. And in them walked many 
men with crowns on their heads, palms in their hands, and golden harps 
to sing praises withal. There were also of them that had wings ; and 
they answered one to another without intermission, saying ' Holy, holy, 
holy, is the Lord.' And after that, they shut up the gates; which 

WHEN I HAD SEEN, I WISHED MYSELF AMONG THEM." 



492 MORNING EXERCISES. 

OCTOBER 12. 

"I am the good Shepherd." John 10 : 14. 

To prove, or rather to exemplify his goodness, let us consider his 
sheep in three periods and conditions, and observe his conduct towards 
them in each. 

First, see them in their natural state. Thus they were fallen and 
guilty creatures, in want and danger, and ready to perish. Here his 
goodness appeared in undertaking their cause, and engaging to be their 
shepherd. For nothing but goodness would have induced him to do 
this. He was under no power or authority to constrain him. He was 
influenced by no application or desire in the subjects of his pity. And 
he was not ignorant of what the interposition would cost him. He 
knew that if he would be their shepherd, he must bleed and die. What 
says the church? "All we like sheep have gone astray: we have 
turned every one to his own way ; and the Lord hath laid on him the 
iniquity of us all." "What says he himself? " The good shepherd giveth 
his life for the sheep." And all this he suffered, not complainingly, but 
with inexpressible alacrity and pleasure. I delight to do thy will. 
How am I straitened till it be accomplished. Nor was this all. After 
he had redeemed them by his blood, he had to search and find them, and 
bring them from their wanderings into his fold. Hear his own repre- 
sentation. He goeth after that which is lost in the wilderness until he 
find it. And when he has traversed the desert, weary, and wounded 
by the thorns and briers, and has found it, what does he ? Does he 
complain of his privations, fatigues, and sufferings ? No ; he layeth it 
on his shoulder, eejoicing ; and when he cometh home, he calleth to- 
gether his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; 
for I have found the sheep which was lost. 

Secondly, view them in their restored estate. Here his goodness ap- 
pears in making such ample and rich provision for them. For he does 
not bring them into barrenness. They shall not want. He will feed 
them in a good pasture. It appears in affording them repose as well as 
food. For they want rest as well as supplies, especially at noon. And, 
says he, I will not only feed my flock, but cause them to lie down. He 
maketh them to lie down in green pastures. It appears in recalling 
them when wandering. He restoreth my soul, says David. It appears 
in defending them. They shall never perish, says the Shepherd; nei- 
ther shall any pluck them out of his hand. It appears in accommodat- 
ing himself so kindly and tenderly to their age and weakness. "He 
shall feed his flock like a shepherd ; he shall gather the lambs with his 
arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are 
with young." • 

Thirdly, see them in their final state. Here he does much for them ; 
and they are often deeply affected with it, especially when they consider 
where he found them, and what they once were. But when they look 
into his promises, they see that he intends to do infinitely more. How 



OCTOBER 13. 493 

great is the goodness which he has laid up for them that fear him! 
Earth is too narrow to contain it. Time is too short to display it. It 
doth not yet appear what they shall be. There is a land of pure de- 
light, a better, a heavenly country prepared to receive them. There is 
indeed a dark valley to pass before they can enter it. But it is safe 
and short, and their Shepherd is with them there ; and his rod and his 
stafif will comfort them. And when they have passed it, "they shall 
hunger no more, neither thirst any more ; neither shall the sun light on 
them, nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, 
shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters ; 
and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Blessed Jesus, 
how well hast thou said, " I am the good Shepherd 1" 

Let those that belong to him love him and honor him with their 
confidence. Trust in him at all times, ye people. Resign to him all 
your interests. It is enough that he careth for you. You know his 
aim. You know that all his ways are mercy and truth. 

But are we a part of his charge? Are we sheep? Are we lambs? 
How may we know this ? They are marked — marked in the car, and 
marked in the foot. My sheep hear my voice, and they follow me. 



OCTOBER 13. 

"I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." Mal. 3 :17. 

If a man spares any one, it will surely be his own son. The very 
relation pleads for him. Even a faulty child is a child still, and is not 
easily turned out of doors like a servant. Absalom had risen in rebel- 
lion against his father, and David was compelled to fight with his own 
son. But said he, on the eve of the battle, " Deal gently for my sake 
with the young man, even with Absalom." Who can imagine his feel- 
ings while thinking of the action ? With what hope and fear was his 
parental bosom fluttering when the messenger arrived with the result ! 
Who does not seem to hear his very heartstrings break as he goes up 
into the chamber, weeping, ' : my son Absalom, my son, my son Absa- 
lom! would God I had died for thee, Absalom, my son, my son!" 
But when a son is dutiful, and the father sees that he desires and aimst* 
and endeavors to please him ! Now this is the image God here employs 
to raise our confidence the more. I will spare them, as a man spareth 
his own son that serveth him. In the same strain is our Saviour's ten- 
der appeal : " If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto 
your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven 
give good things to them that ask him?" God's own children, who 
serve him, need sparing mercy. It is exercised towards them four 
ways. 

First, he spares them as to exemption. This has often been seen in 
times of public and general calamity. Does the flood come and sweep 
away the world of the ungodly ? An ark is provided for the saving of 
Noah and his house. Are the cities of the plain destroyed ? Lot is 



494 MORNING EXERCISES. 

sent forth out of the overthrow. Darkness that might be felt enveloped 
the Egyptians, but the Israelites had light in all their dwellings. 
When the executioners were approaching Jerusalem, Set a mark, says 
God, upon the foreheads of the men that sigh, and that cry for the 
abominations that are done in the midst of the land. Some of his ser- 
vants are taken away from the evil to come. Pious connections, removed 
by death, are often spared the sight of relative troubles, under which per- 
haps they would have sunk. Many a pious youth, like Abijah, has come 
to an early grave in peace, and been housed from after-storms. The 
heathens said, They whom the gods love, die young. How often has he 
spared us, spared our lives, our senses, our limbs, our substance, our re- 
lations, and friends ! With regard to all of which we must gratefully 
acknowledge, " It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed." 

Secondly, he spares them as to correction. As his word tells us, " He 
that spareth the rod hateth his son," He will not himself refuse to strike 
when it is needful. Whom the Lord loveth, he therefore chasteneth. 
But how? What is the prayer of his people? Lord, correct me, but 
with judgment : not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. 
And he hears them, and spares them as to the degree of the affliction. 
" In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it : he stay- 
eth his rough wind in the day of the east wind." They are afflicted, 
but they have alleviations. It might have been much worse. Others 
are more distressed. One comfort is gone, but many remain. Cast 
down, but not destroyed. " Like as a father pitieth his children, so the 
Lord pitieth them that fear him. He knoweth our frame : he remem- 
bereth that we are dust." For the same holds with regard to continu- 
ance ; he will not always chide, neither will he keep his anger for ever. 
"I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth : for the 
spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made." See an 
instance of this sparing goodness expressed with incomparable tender- 
ness, with regard to Ephraim : "Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleas- 
ant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him 
still : therefore my bowels are troubled for him ; I will surely have 
mercy upon him, saith the Lord." 

Thirdly, he spares them as to exertion. He considers their strength, 
and will not require of some what he ordains of others. A father in his 
family would not impose upon an infant the service he would lay upon 
a young man. To some in Thyatira the Lord said, I will put upon you 
none other burden. The children are tender, says Jacob ; and the 
flocks and herds with young are with me ; and if men should overdrive 
them one day, all the flock would die. How much does this remind us 
of another, of whom it is said, " He shall feed his flock like a shepherd : 
he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, 
and shall gently lead those that are with young." When our Saviour 
was blamed for not enjoining fastings on his disciples, he replied, " No 
man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment ; for that which 
is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made 



OCTOBER 14. 495 

worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles ; else the bottles 
break and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish : but they put 
new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved." There is, says 
Henry, in well-doing an overdoing, and such overdoing as may prove 
undoing. Many religious people are blamable here. They expect too 
much to be given up before persons have realized the comforts of the 
Holy Ghost. They want to effect every thing at a stroke. They forget 
their own ignorance and slowness when God began to deal with them. 
They forget Him who does not despise the day of small things. They 
forget Him who said to his followers, I have yet many things to say 
unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 

Fourthly, he spares them as to acceptance. Their best actions are 
imperfect. Their holiest duties are defiled. Their obedience needs 
pardon. To whom does not this apply? Nehemiah had done much 
for the cause of God ; but does he appeal to justice to reward him ? 
No ; but to mercy, to forgive him : " Remember me, my God, con- 
cerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy 
mercy." Paul, after extolling Onesiphorus so highly, prays that even 
he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. I am looking, says the 
great John Howe when dying, for eternal life ; not as a profitable ser- 
vant, but as a pardoned sinner. Where is the Christian, however dis- 
tinguished his attainments, who, even in looking over his Sabbaths, and 
his communions at the Lord's table, and every almsdeed he ever per- 
formed, is not constrained to pray, " Enter not into judgment with thy 
servant, Lord ; for in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified ?" 
Well, he will spare you as to your deficiencies in duty. He takes the 
design ; he regards the motive ; he looketh at the heart. He will par- 
don what is yours, and reward what is his own. He views you and 
your services through the mediation of his dear Son, in whom he is well 
pleased. Ah, he spared not him, that he might spare you. "If we sin, we 
have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous ; and he 
is the propitiation for our sius." And as God said to Job's friends, so 
he says to us, " My servant shall pray for you, and him will I accept ; 
lest I deal with you according to your folly.' 7 

Never forget the goodness and kindness of God. He is your father, 
and he will spare you. 

But spare not yourselves. Mind no labor ; regard no expense in 
his cause ; deny yourselves. Take up your cross, and follow him fully ; 
follow him whithersoever he goeth. 



OCTOBER 14. 



" According to their pasture, so were they filled ; they were filled, and their heart was 
exalted; therefore have they forgotten me." Hosea 13 : 6. 

In this and the former verse God places Israel before us in two sit- 
uations and conditions — the wilderness, and Canaan. He reminds us 






496 MORNING EXERCISES. 

of his knowledge of them in the former, and of their disregarding him 
in the latter. He commended them in their low estate, but had to com- 
plain of them in their prosperity. "I did. know thee in the wilderness, 
in the land of great drought." But delivered from the privations and 
hardships of the desert, they entered the land of promise, the glory of 
all lands ; a land of wheat and barley ; a land of vineyards and fig- 
trees and pomegranates ; a land wherein there was no scarceness ; a 
land flowing with milk and honey. And what was the consequence? 

First, selfish indulgence. " According to their pasture, so were they 
filled." And was this sinful? We plead for no monkish austerities. 
" Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be 
received with thanksgiving ; for it is sanctified by the word of God and 
prayer." He "giveth us richly all things to enjoy." But the enjoy- 
ment of Christians differs from the excess of the sensual. We are not 
to feast ourselves without fear. We are not to make provision for the 
flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. We are not to throw the reins on the 
neck of appetite, and feed ourselves to the full. The mistake of many 
is, that they suppose every thing is their own ; whereas nothing is their 
own. They are only stewards of the manifold grace of God. They 
think they may sleep as much as they like, dress as much as they like, 
consume as much as they like ; but the Scripture is our rule, and not 
our own inclination. There is the cause of God and of the poor to be 
thought of, as well as our own gratification. The first lesson in the 
school of Christ is self-denial. Where, in the lives of some, does this 
ever appear? Temperance is one of the graces of the Spirit. And does 
this consist only in avoiding the grossness of drunkenness and gluttony? 
No ; but in not " filling ourselves according to our pasture." 

Secondly, pride. " They were filled, and their heart was exalted." 
This was even the case with Hezekiah ; even he rendered not according 
to the benefits done him, for " his heart was lifted up." And by charg- 
ing them that are rich in this world not to be " high-minded," nor " to 
trust in uncertain riches," the apostle shows the tendency there always 
is in worldly success to gender vanity and false confidence. Hence it 
is said, " Pride compasseth them about as a chain ; violence covereth 
them as a garment." They even think more highly of their understand- 
ing, as if their wisdom grew with their wealth. They speak with au- 
thority, and answer roughly. 

Thirdly, unmindfulness of God. "Therefore have they forgotten 
me." And how common is it for men, in the midst of their sufficiency, 
to lose the sense of their obligations to God, and dependence upon him, 
and need of him. Hence Agar prayed against being rich, "lest I 
should be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord ?" Hence the 
caution to the Jews at their taking possession of all the good things in 
Canaan: "Then beware lest thou forget the Lord which brought thee 
forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage." The ad- 
monition was unavailable. " Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked. Thou 
art waxed fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness ; 



OCTOBER 14. 497 

then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the rock of 
his salvation." 

This gives us a very humbling view of human nature. Is it possible 
for us to consider it as so innocent, so amiable, so noble as some would 
represent it to be? Yiew it, not as it appears in the dregs of society, 
but as it is seen in common and reputable life. See men able to bear 
nothing without abuse ; evil, because God is good ; drawn from him by 
the very things which should lead to him ; ungrateful in proportion as 
they should love and praise him, and even converting his gifts into 
weapons of rebellion against him. Lord, what is man ? 

Let the fact arouse us to caution and circumspection, if Providence 
smiles upon us, and we are placed in easy and agreeable circumstances. 
Yea, let us not only watch, but pray, lest we enter into temptation. Let 
us seek that grace which can alone enable us to manage a full estate 
properly, so as to elude its snares and discharge its duties. Then we 
shall see that what is impossible to men is possible to God. It was said 
of Yespasion, that he was even the better man for being an emperor. 
So there are some whose prosperity, instead of destroying them, dis- 
plays and increases their excellency ; and they are not only rich in 
temporal things, but rich in faith, and rich in good works. These 
instances, however, are rare. 

The perils of the condition should check our eagerness after worldly 
affluence and ease. Why do we envy those that rise? Because we 
attach an undue value and importance to their acquisitions. Yet these 
possessions are not only transient, but unsatisfying and vexatious and 
corrupting. Yet, regardless of the testimony of Scripture and all his- 
tory and experience, how many, and even professors of religion, crave 
and pursue them as if they were the supreme good. But seekest thou 
great things unto thyself? seek them not. Bring your mind to your 
condition, for you never will be able to bring your condition to your 
mind. Your desires will enlarge with your indulgence, as fuel adds to 
the fierceness of the flame. Therefore let your conversation be without 
covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have, for He hath 
said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 

Learn also resignation under afflictive dispensations, either in cross- 
ing your schemes or in reducing your resources. " Because they have 
no changes, therefore they fear not God." It was said of Moab, " Moab 
hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and 
hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into 
captivity ; therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not 
changed." The prodigal was more favored ; a famine drove him home. 
Manasseh was mercifully ruined ; in his affliction he sought the Lord 
God of his father, and he was found of him. And He gives you the 
valley of Achor for a door of hope. Do not think hardly of Him under 
whose discipline you now are. He knew your danger, and interposed 
to prevent it. He has hedged up your way with thorns, but it is to 
keep you from following lying vanities, and forsaking your own mer- 

Murn. Exer. 32 



498 MORNING EXERCISES. 

cies. He tries you, but it is for your profit. He sees what you can 
bear. And he who loved you, so as to give his own Son for you, will 
suffer you to want no good thing. 






OCTOBER 15. 

" And the Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, 
which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken." 
Deut. 5 : 28. 

Thus he expressly mentions his having heard what they had said to 
Moses. It is equally true that he hears all we say, and has heard all 
we have ever said. This is a solemn thought, especially as he has 
heard all our words, not as an unconcerned auditor, but as a witness 
and a judge. How many of them have we forgotten ! But they are all 
in the book of his remembrance. " For every idle word that men shall 
speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For 
by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be 
condemned." 

Here the words which God had heard were the words of religious 
avowal. " Speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak 
unto thee ; and we will hear it, and do it. 11 And he has heard all our 
religious resolutions and engagements. First, our more private ones : 
when we have been impressed alone, with regard to such a temper, 
that we should watch against it ; with regard to such a temptation, 
that we should pray for grace to resist it ; with regard to our time, 
that we would redeem it ; with regard to our substance, that we would 
honor the Lord with it. And secondly, with regard to our more public 
and solemn ones : when we joined ourselves to his people, and went to 
his table, and over the memorials of dying love, said, " Henceforth by 
thee only will I make mention of thy name. 

' Here in thy house I leave my vow, 

And thy rich grace record ; 
Witness, ye saints, who hear me now, 

If I forsake the Lord.' " 

I have heard, says he, the voice of the words of this people. And add^, 
with approbation containing in it complaint, "They have well said all 
that they have spoken.' 11 But talking and doing are two things. Even 
with regard to ourselves, one of them goes a very little way without the 
other ; yea, it rather offends ; it adds insult to injury. We scorn a 
flattering profession contradicted by actions. Actions, we say, speak 
louder than words. What is lip-service in religion? Judas gave our 
Lord the lip, called him Master, and kissed him, and betrayed. Eze- 
kiel's hearers extolled his preaching, and brought others to admire him, 
but their hearts went after their covetousness. They heard his words, 
but did them not. So David testifies of these Jews : " When he slew 
them, then they sought him ; and they returned, and inquired early 
after God. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouths, and 



OCTOBER 15. 499 

they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right 
with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant." And so here. 
They spoke well in expressing their readiness to hear and to do. But 
God, who knew them better than they knew themselves, immediately 
exclaimed, " that there were such a heart in them !" 

Speech is one of the most uncertain criterions by which we can 
judge of character, either as to the reality or degree of religion. From 
education, reading, and hearing, persons may easily learn to talk well. 
They may even surpass others who are far better than themselves ; as 
an empty vessel when touched sounds louder than a full one, and as a 
shallow brook is more noisy than a deep river. Some speak little, es- 
pecially concerning themselves, from a fear of deception, and a concern 
lest they should appear to others above what they really are. Baxter, 
in his Life of Judge Hale, says, For a time I feared he was wanting in 
experimental religion, as he seldom spoke of his own spiritual views 
and feelings. But upon better acquaintance, I found I was mistaken. 
He had heard from many in his times so much hypocrisy and fanaticism, 
that he was urged towards the extreme of silence. And it is the better 
extreme of the two. Christians feed on the hidden manna, and have a 
white stone, with a new name in it, which no one readeth save he that 
receiveth it. Would it not be better for some to talk less of their high 
confidence, and their wonderful ecstasies, before those who are weak in 
faith and comfort, and who are in danger of being depressed by com- 

1 parison ? How assuredly do some speak of the time when they were 
I enlightened " or " converted,' 7 as if they could ascertain the period of 
the second birth as exactly as that of the first. Might it not, sometimes 
at least, be better to speak of the fact with less decision, and always to 
consider the work not so much done as doing, or to pray that it might be 
done ? So did David. " Create in me a clean heart, God, and renew 
a right spirit within me." 

To how many individuals will the words before us apply. Here is 
a champion for the truth. He has defended its purity and importance. 
He has contended earnestly, and as far as argument or evidence goes, 
wisely, for the faith once delivered to the saints. He has well said all 

t that he has spoken. But where is the Spirit of truth, the meekness of 
wisdom, the mind of Christ? Every page of controversy ought to have 

' over it, "The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God;" 
and at the bottom, " If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none 

' of his." Another has entered the sanctuary of God, and in language 

' equally beautiful and true, has acknowledged, " We have erred, and 
strayed from thy ways like lost sheep ; we have followed too much the 

' devices and desires of our own hearts ; there is no health in us." And 
he has well said all that he has spoken. But where is the broken heart 
and the contrite spirit? How often, after these confessions, is the ser- 
mon, founded upon them, disliked, and the preacher of it condemned. 
Here is a third. He has gone to his brethren in distress, and justified 
the ways of God to man. But does he justify God's dealings with him- 



500 MORNING EXERCISES. 

self in trouble? He has well said all that he has spoken. But he re- 
minds us of the language of Eliphaz to Job, " Behold, thou hast instructed 
many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have 
upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble 
knees. But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest : it toucheth 
thee, and thou art troubled." 

Men may mistake themselves when they do not mean to deceive 
others. They are often at the time as sincere as they are earnest. The 
young, the afflicted, in the hour of distress, the sick, and the dying, ex- 
press many things which are as true as they are good, according to their 
present feelings. But they do not distinguish between impulse and dis- 
position, between outward excitement and inward principle. Hazael, 
at the prediction of his cruelties, ignorant of the change that power 
would produce in him, really execrated the character he became. Peter 
was presuming, but not false, when he said, " Though all shall be of- 
fended because of thee, yet will I never be offended." The disciples 
supposed themselves established in the faith, beyond the danger of 
temptation to forsake him, when they said, "Now we believe." But 
Jesus answered them, that there was such a heart in you ! " Do you 
now believe? Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall 
be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone : and yet 
I am not alone, because the Father is with me." 



OCTOBER 16. 



" And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be 
written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that 
should be written. Amen." John 21 :25. 

This is the language of the writer of this gospel in concluding his 
narrative. After all that he had brought forward, much more remained 
behind. He had composed a memoir, rather than a history, and only 
furnished a few specimens of a subject boundless in itself. 

Yet the expression he employs in asserting this may seem to many 
surprising, if not confounding. There are two ways of solving the 
difficulty. 

First, the language is a figure, a strong hyperbole. This is very 
common in the East. Indeed, it is frequent with writers and speakers 
in all countries. Even in our familiar discourse we often, without being 
aware of it, express ourselves as remotely from truth, if absolutely con- 
sidered. " I am tired to death." " I have no strength left." " Every 
body knows it." Such a thing is " provided at the shortest notice," 
which would be a moment. But no deception is intended, and no dan- 
ger of mistake follows. 

Yet, secondly, though this meets the difficulty, some have also a 
little altered the rendering, and read, not the world would not contain, 
but would not receive the books that would be written. So Doddridge 
and others. This is allowable in criticism ; but let us observe the just- 



OCTOBER 11. 501 

ness of the inference. If all the particulars of his birth and infancy, 
and youth and manhood ; if all the occurrences of his private and pub- 
lic life ; if all his actions, his miracles, his speeches, his prayers, with 
all their relative circumstances — if all these had been recorded, instead 
of a book, we must have had books, and books so large and many that 
the design must have been counteracted. For then there were no books 
but were in manuscript. And who would have had leisure to transcribe 
them ? Who would have taken the trouble ? If they were purchased 
from transcribers, who would have endured the expense ? They could 
only have been the property of the very rich. And when they had be- 
come their own, who could have had time to read them ? Who could 
have remembered them all? How multiplied would have been the 
difficulties requiring explanation I All these would have been with men 
reasons or excuses for not procuring, or not perusing, or not under- 
standing them. 

Therefore each of the inspired lives of our Saviour himself is not so 
long as many a sermon. The four put together are far shorter than 
the published account of many a modern insignificant character. But 
let us not complain or lament that the whole is so compendious and 
brief. It is not a defect, but an excellency. The wisdom and goodness 
of God appear in it. It meets the better our situations, engagements, 
and capacities. More would only have perplexed us or multiplied our 
diversions. 

And let us remember, also, that we do not want the aid of tradi- 
tional supplement or human additions to the Scriptures of truth. 
Though short, they are sufficient. They leave nothing obscure as to 
our duty or welfare. They are able to make us wise unto salvation, 
through faith that is in Christ Jesus. 

And may we not suppose that it will be a part of our engagement 
and blessedness in heaven to derive from those acquainted with them, 
or from the Saviour himself, the knowledge of a thousand things con- 
cerning his eventful history of which we are now ignorant ? 

Above all, let us rejoice in what has been furnished. Let us rejoice 
that it is so divinely proved, and that it has been preserved un corrupted 
down to our own time, and that we have it in our language, and arc 
allowed and able to read it. And let us keep the end of the whole in 
view, and never be satisfied till it be accomplished in our experience. 
" Many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, 
which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye 
might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that, be- 
lieving, ye might have life through his name." 



OCTOBER 17. 

" It is high time to awake out of sleep." Rom. 13 : 11. 
These words regard Christians themselves. This is undeniable 
from the motive subjoined : " For now is our salvation nearer than 



502 MORNING EXERCISES. 

when we believed." Are believers, then, asleep? Not in the sense they 
once were ; this would be impossible. But there are found even in 
them some remains of their former depravity. Though the good work 
is begun in them, it is far from being accomplished. While the bride- 
groom tarried, even the wise virgins slumbered and slept. Yes ; Chris- 
tians, alas, are often in a drowsy state, and oftener in a drowsy frame. 
This is sadly reproachful. What, drowsy in examining themselves 
whether they be in the faith? Drowsy in praising the God of their 
salvation? Drowsy in seeking mercy and grace to help them in time of 
need? Drowsy in serving their generation by the will of God? Are 
they not the disciples of Jesus? Did he ever speak an idle word? Did 
he ever lose a useful moment? " I must work," said he, " the works of 
Him that sent me while it is day ; the night cometh, wherein no man 
can work." 

Yet, if the address be proper for Christians, how much more neces- 
sary is it for those who are entirely regardless of the things that belong 
to their peace. Surely for them "it is high time to awake out of 
sleep " — 

If we consider how long they have been sleeping. We ought to 
lament that we have lost any of our precious hours and opportunities. 
However short it may have been, the time past of our life should more 
than suffice wherein we have lived to the will of man. What then 
should those feel who have sacrificed the whole of their youth, perhaps 
the vigor of mature age ? What should those feel who perhaps have 
grown gray in the service of sin and the world? The later we begin, 
the more zealous should we be to redeem the advantages we have lost, 
and to overtake those who were wise enough to set off early. When 
Caesar in Spain met with a statue of Alexander, he wept at the thought 
that this illustrious conqueror had achieved so much before he had even 
begun his career. High time, 

If we consider that the day is arrived, and the sun is risen so high. 
"The night is far spent, the day is at hand ; let us therefore cast off the 
works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light." We can say 
more than the apostle. The night is spent. The day is fully come. 
And we are all the children of the light, and the children of the day: 
we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as 
do others. They that sleep, sleep in the night. Look into nature. The 
sun ariseth, and man goeth forth unto his work and to his labor until 
the evening. The sun shines not for us to sleep, but to discharge the 
duties of our stations by its lustre. And why is the gospel given us ? 
Why is our duty so plainly made known, but that we may follow it? 
And why are the blessings of divine grace so clearly set before us, but 
that we may seek them? Our obligations always increase with our 
advantages. To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to 
him it is sin. And the servant that knew his lord's will, and prepared 
not himself, shall be beaten with many stripes ; for where much is given, 
much will be required. High time, 



OCTOBER 11. 503 

If we consider the business they have to do. I am doing, said Ne- 
hemiah to some who would have interrupted him — I cannot come down 
to you — I am doing a great work. How much more may a Christian 
say this. He has an enterprise connected with the soul and God and 
eternity. Some things are desirable, and some are useful, but this is 
absolutely indispensable. 

"Sufficient in itself alone, 
And needful, were the world our own." 

Neglect, in many a concern, is injurious ; but here it is ruinous — ruinous 
of every thing, and ruinous for ever. High time, 

If we consider the nature of the season in which this difficult and 
all-important work is to be accomplished. It is short, and there is but 
a step between us and death. It is uncertain in its continuance, and 
may be terminated every moment by some of those numberless dangers, 
internal and external, to which we are exposed ; and once gone, it can 
never be renewed. No place will be found for repentance, though we 
seek it carefully with tears. High time, 

If we consider the danger they are in. If a man was sleeping in a 
house, and the fire was seen not only to be kindled, but raging over his 
apartment, or approaching rapidly his door, or ready to catch the very 
curtains of his bed, who would not think it high time for him to awake, 
and escape for his life ? This is but a weak representation of the dan- 
ger of sinners. They are condemned already. The wrath of God 
abideth on them. They are nigh unto cursing. Their end is to be 
burned. Their destruction is not only insured, but begun. And we are 
required to save with fear, pulling them out of the fire. High time to 
awake out of sleep, 

If we consider that all besides are awake. God is awake ; angels 
are awake ; glorified saints are awake ; brutes are awake ; the chil- 
dren of this generation are awake ; devils are awake ; death is awake : 
damnation is awake ; their damnation slumbereth not. It is high time 
to awake out of sleep. 

Is it not too late ? Have I not reason to fear that I have passed 
the bounds of divine patience ; that the Lord hath shut-to the door ; 
that in resentment of my neglects and provocations, he hath given me 
over to a reprobate mind ; that he hath poured upon me the spirit of 
slumber? And hence it is that I hear so often with indifference, and 
that nothing affects me now as it once did. 

But may I not hope that his long-suffering will yet be my salvation ; 
that he has spared me so long to afford space for repentance ; that the 
seriousness of this retirement is another call of mercy ; that the uneas- 
iness, the dread, the desire I now feel is a token for good ; that the 
lingering of pity still cries, How shall I give thee up ? Lord, save ; I 
perish. 



504 



MORNING EXERCISES. 



OCTOBER 18. 

" He will speak peace unto his people, and to his. saints : but let them not turn again 
to folly." Psa. 85 : 8. 

How encouraging is this expectation, "He will speak peace unto Lis 
people, and to his saints." 

Mark the blessing itself, peace. It does not mean outward ease and 
prosperity j he nowhere engages to speak this : but spiritual comfort ; 
the composer of the conscience ; the satisfaction of the heart, by which 
the " soul shall dwell at ease ;" the effect of confidence in God : "Thou 
wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because 
he trusteth in thee." How relieving is it, under a sense of guilt, to be- 
lieve in the blood that cleanseth from all sin. How soothing is it, in 
the various changes of life, to be assured that all things shall work 
together for our good. How confirming is it, in the prospect of every 
duty, to know that his strength shall be made perfect in weakness. 
This is the rest wherewith we are to cause the weary to rest, and this 
is the refreshing. 

Observe the author of the communication : He will speak peace. 
And unless He speaks it, it will be spoken in vain. Friends may ad- 
dress us, but they will be found miserable comforters. Ministers may 
attempt to bind up the broken heart, but they will prove physicians of 
no value. Ordinances may be regarded, but they will be wells without 
water, and clouds without rain. But " when He giveth quietness, then 
who can make trouble?" We can only implore or announce peace, but 
his word produces, conveys it. He commandeth the blessing, even life 
for evermore. Nothing is beyond the reach of Him who turneth the 
shadow of death into the morning. 

Observe- the heirs of the privilege : He will speak peace to his people, 
and to his saints. These are not different characters, but different rep- 
resentations of the same persons ; and the one is explanatory of the 
other. He has a people for his name ; and if we ask who they are, we 
are told they are saints ; that is, they are holy ones. They are not per- 
fectly holy ? but they are really so. The principles of sanctification, of 
which they are the partakers, will soon gain the entire possession of 
them ; but even now they have the ascendency in them. The love of 
holiness is evinced even with regard to their remaining corruptions. 
These are their burden and distress, and for these they abhor them- 
selves. They long, above all things, to walk so as to please God, and 
constantly pray, " Create in me a clean heart, God, and renew a 
right spirit within me." And what have others to do with peace? 
" There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." 

Mark also the certainty of the assurance : He will speak peace unto 
his people, and to his saints. Every thing tends to confirm it. His 
name — he is the God of peace. His thoughts — they are thoughts of 
peace. The mediation of the Son of his love — he made peace by the 
blood of his cross. His dealings with us — had he a mind to kill us, he 



OCTOBER 19. 505 

would not have shown us such things as these. The truth of his word — 
the Scripture cannot be broken. 

And how reasonable is the caution, " But let them not turn again 
unto folly." 

Here we see the character of sin : it is folly. Such the God of truth 
pronounceth it to be now ; such every transgressor will acknowledge it 
to be at the last. Should not this be enough to deter us from it, that 
it perfectly befools us, and will fill us with everlasting shame and con- 
tempt ? 

Here we are reminded that the people of God, though saints now, 
were once chargeable with it. The command not to turn again to 
folly, proves this. Their being made to differ, supposes former sameness. 
They were by nature children of wrath, even as others ; and they arc 
willing to own it, and often look to the rock whence they were hewn, 
and to the hole of the pit whence they were digged. 

We are also taught that they are still in danger, and need warning. 
" Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall." We are 
always exposed to a subtle and invisible enemy ; we live in a wicked 
world ; we carry within us an evil heart. The best, in an hour of 
temptation, have turned again to folly. 

But against this we should feel ourselves peculiarly concerned to 
guard, when God has appeared for us, and spoken peace to our souls. 
Were we not, we should be alike ungrateful and infatuated. Ungrate- 
ful, for the more he does for us, the more anxious should we be, lest we 
offend and grieve his Holy Spirit. Infatuated, for having known the 
evil of sin, and the bitterness of repentance, and the joy of God's salva- 
tation, shall we again cause him to hide his face from us, and wrong 
our own souls ? For the backslider in heart shall be filled with his 
own ways. 

OCTOBER 19. 

"Seeing many things, but thou observest not." Isaiah 42 : 20. 

This charge is as applicable to us as it was to the Jews. Nothing 
is more common than the want of wise and proper observation. The ob- 
jects and events adapted to excite it, and which would also reward it, 
are various and numberless. And some of them daily and hourly strike 
our senses, yet they engage none of our notice and attention as rational 
and moral beings. From an immense multitude, let us select two of 
these occurrences by way of example : the birth and the death of our 
fellow-creatures. 

How little attention is excited by the birth of a child. It may per- 
haps, if it takes place in respectable life, be announced in the paper ; 
inquiries may be made concerning its sex and form ; it may be viewed 
and embraced by the friends who call ceremoniously on the mother who 
has been delivered. But what moral or religious reflection is ever in- 
dulged by those who are informed of the event, or even by the parents 



506 MORNING EXERCISES. 

themselves? The interesting sufferer herself may be pleased with the 
congratulations paid her, and forget her anguish for joy that a man is 
born into the world, and feel a lively gratitude for the mercy she has 
experienced ; but no one thought may arise in the mind respecting the 
all-important result in the production of a new being, and such a being 
too. 

Yet the birth of a child can scarcely be deemed less than a miracle 
of nature and providence. That child is^a piece of divine workman- 
ship, fearfully and wonderfully made, and as fearfully and wonderfully 
preserved and endowed. When the Creator made it, he did a far 
greater thing than when he made the sun. The sun is a mass of unin- 
telligent matter. It sees not its own light ; it feels not its own heat, 
and is not destined to shine and burn for ever. But there is a spirit in 
that child, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understand- 
ing. He is a moral being. He is the subject of reason and conscience. 
These principles are not yet developed, but they are lodged in him. 
They are in him as the flower is in the seed, and the oak in the acorn. 
He is an heir of immortality ; and though his existence began yester- 
day, it will never, never end. He will hear the heavens pass away 
with a great noise, and see the elements melt with fervent heat. He 
will stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, and go away into everlast- 
ing punishment or into life eternal. 

He is also to be viewed relatively as well as personally. And what 
an awful interest does he acquire from the evil he may occasion as well 
as suffer, and from the good he may produce as well as experience. He 
may prove a viper in the bosom that feeds him, a disgrace to his fam- 
ily, a curse to the nation. Many may be vitiated by his example, and 
led into hell by his influence. One sinner destroyeth much good. Or he 
may make a glad father, and prove a blessing to the neighborhood, and 
serve his generation by the will of God, and levy a tax of gratitude on 
future ages. Who that had seen Isaac Watts in the arms of his mother, 
sitting at the door of the prison in which his father was suffering for 
conscience' sake, could have divined that this precious babe was the 
sweet psalmist of the Christian Israel, and that the little hand that 
stroked her cheek was ordained to hold the pen that should instruct 
and edify the world to the end of time. Had we heard when the babe 
wept, and looked into the ark of bulrushes, we should have seen the 
scholar learned in all the wisdom of Egypt, the scourge of Pharaoh, 
the deliverer of the Hebrews, the king in Jeshurun, the lawgiver and 
the prophet of the Lord, with whom he spoke face to face. What says 
the Lord of all? " Despise not one of these little ones ; for I say unto 
you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my heav- 
enly Father." 

Let us pass to the second article, death. This is perpetually taking 
place around us ; yet how little it is noticed was long ago remarked by 
Eliphaz : " They are destroyed from morning to evening : they perish 
for ever, without any regarding it." This indifference is one of the 



OCTOBER 19. 507 

most astonishing things in a world of wonders, especially when taken 
in connection with those consequences that, in general belief, are sup- 
posed to result from it. If a tower fell, if a mountain was swallowed 
up by an earthquake, we should notice, and make it the subject of con- 
versation for days and weeks. Yet, what is this compared with the 
removal of a fellow-creature ; detached from all union with visible na- 
ture ; excluded from every thing that once pleased or engaged him 
below the sun ; severed from all his endeared connections ; his flesh 
seeing corruption, while his soul has entered into an entirely new state 
of existence, in immediate and perceptible communion with the Lord of 
all ? Death is the most serious and momentous event that can befall 
the children of men. For it is not the extinction of being, but only the 
termination of one mode of it, and the commencement of another ; the 
transition from time to eternity — from a course of action to the sen- 
tence of retribution. When the dust returns to the dust whence it was, 
the spirit returns to God who gave it ; and then the divine fiat runs, 
"He that is unjust, let him be unjust still ; and he that is filthy, let him 
be filthy still ; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still ; and 
he that is holy, let him be holy still." 

And yet who considers it? When the bell tolls, we hardly ask 
whose doom it announces. When we see a funeral in the street, we 
scarcely look towards it, unless it be accompanied with the pomp of 
mortality. We see new names on the doors of the houses, but we pass 
without thinking that the places which once knew the owners know 
them no more for ever. A neighbor dies, and from civility we attend 
the burial, and lend him our last assistance, but return into the busy or 
trifling concerns of life 'as careless as before. Death enters our own 
dwelling ; we feel deeply, but we reflect slightly. We mourn our loss, 
but the heart is not made better ; we miss them for a time, but we soon 
furnish substitutes, or grow insensible to the want of them. When 
every duty the utmost decorum can exact, or the most perfect affection 
dictates, is discharged towards the deceased, where is the concern of 
the living to derive from the decease itself the spiritual profit which it 
is designed to yield? Where is the earnestness of the prayer, "So 
teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wis- 
dom?" 

Every death — the death of the young and the death of the old. the 
death of the rich and the death of the poor, the death of the saint and 
the death of the sinner — has something not only serious, but appropri- 
ate to impart. But to the generality of mankind, each of them says 
nothing, or speaks in vain. 

Much of this disregard is from the frequency of the occurrence. 
Nothing seems to affect us strongly, but what is sudden or rare. The 
most important object, and the most interesting events, when they be- 
come familiar, awaken neither wonder nor attention. Yet, if we can- 
not regulate our impressions, we can govern our ideas ; we can apply 
our thoughts to any subject we please, and we should not suffer what is 



508 MORNING EXERCISES. 

so full of instruction to pass without just reflection. We cannot be 
always thinking of death, but we should never be so absent from a 
proper condition of mind as not to be easily recalled to the improve- 
ment of an event which must soon happen to all, and for which we may 
prepare, though we cannot prevent. 

It is not only the commonness of the subject, but our aversion to it 
that keeps us from attending to it. It is, above all things, irksome to 
flesh and blood ; we therefore are always endeavoring to put the evil 
day far away. But since we cannot put it off, let us pray for that grace 
which will turn the enemy into a friend, and the curse into a blessing. 
Then to die will be gain ; and we may live rejoicing in hope of the 
glory of God. 

"If there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these 
things." 



OCTOBER 20. 

"Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty." Isaiah 33 : IT. 

What was the sight of Hezekiah, released from his afiTiction, and 
appearing cheerfully in his royal robes to his subjects after the destruc- 
tion of the Assyrian army, compared with another sight. "We see 
Jesus, who, for the suffering of death, was crowned with glory and 
honor. 7 ' Some, in the days of his flesh, with their bodily eyes beheld 
his glory. And perhaps we are ready to envy them the privilege. 
But this sight of him was not accompanied with salvation. " Ye also,'' 
said he, "have seen me, and believed not ;" and to those who were then 
before him he complained, "Ye will not come unto me, that ye might 
have life." 

On the other hand, there is a substitute for this sight of him, and it 
is infinitely more available. And he is the subject of it who sees him, 
not with the eye of the body, but with the eye of the mind ; not with 
the eye of sense, but with the eye of faith. "He that seeth the Son, and 
believeth on him, hath everlasting life." There is a spiritual percep- 
tion of him, as much distinguished from common knowledge as the taste 
of a thing is from the report of it. Thus the apostle says, " It pleased 
God to reveal his Son in me f and speaking of all Christians as well 
as of himself, he adds, " He hath shined in our hearts, to give the light 
of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 

This sight of the Saviour will be evinced by certain effects. Self 
will be lowered. What can he think of his own excellences who has 
been at the court above, and seen the King in his beauty? Self-admira- 
tion and self-dependence will then be at an end. " The proud look shall 
be humbled, and the lofty looks shall be laid low ; and the Lord alone 
shall be exalted in that day." So it was with Job. " Now mine eye 
seeth thee : wherefore I abhor myself, repenting in dust and ashes." So 
it was with Isaiah. " Woe is me, for I am undone ; for I am a man of 
unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips ; for mine eyes 



OCTOBER 20. 509 

have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." The world will fade away and 
lose its charms. The Sun of righteousness will shine it out, as the lu- 
minaries of the night disappear in the effulgence of day. Attachment 
will result from it. Love enters by the eye. And faith is the same to 
the soul as this sense is to the body ; therefore to them " that believe he 
is precious." He " dwells in the heart by faith." There will also nec- 
essarily arise a desire after more acquaintance and intercourse with 
him. Thus Paul, not because he was ignorant of him, but because lie 
knew him, said, " That I may know him." There will also be an ear- 
nest desire to recommend him to others. As soon as Andrew knew 
him, he found his brother Simon, and brought him to Jesus. So did 
Philip his friend Nathanael. And so did the woman of Samaria her 
fellow-citizens. 

This sight of him is a very distinguished privilege. As it is said of 
his immediate followers, " Then were the disciples glad when they saw 
the Lord ;" so we, believing, rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of 
glory. There is enough in him, perceptible to the view of faith, to in- 
duce us to rejoice in the Lord always. But how delightful is the sight 
of him in the hour of conviction. A drowning man, seeing a deliverer 
in a boat hastening to his assistance ; a debtor, on his way to prison, 
seeing a surety at hand to undertake for him ; a man, dying of hunger, 
seeing the most delicious food — never saw what I saw, when, sensible 
of my state and danger, and feeling myself ready to perish, my heart 
revived at the view of such a Saviour, in his suitableness to my con- 
dition, in his all-sufficiency for my relief, and I was enabled to hope in 
his mercy. 

How delightful is the sight of him in the hour of desertion. If he 
withdraws from me, it is not to show his sovereignty, but to correct for 
sin ; and when he hides his face I am troubled. Then creatures are all 
miserable comforters. Then I sigh, that it was with me as in months 
past ! Then I pray, Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. But 
when he appears and smiles again, it is more than the joy of morning 
after a darksome night, or of spring after the dreariness of winter. 

How delightful is the sight of him in the hour of trouble. It is then, 
when our purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of our hearts ; 
when enemies oppose ; when friends fail and betray ; when health de- 
clines — it is then we look towards Him who is the consolation of Israel, 
and say, " This same shall comfort us," " This man shall be the peace 
when the Assyrian cometh into the land." 

How delightful is the sight of him in the hour of death. It loosened 
Simeon from all below, and made him more than willing to depart ; 
wishing, now he had seen him, to defile, to vex his eyes with nothing 
else. And how many have since said, 

" Jesus, the vision of thy face 
Hath overpowering charms : 
Scarce shall I feel death's cold embrace, 
If Christ be in my arms !" 



510 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Such are the influence and the blessedness of a sight of him by faith 
here. What, then, is heaven? "His servants shall serve him; and 
they shall see his face." "Father, I will that they whom thou hast 
given me be with me where I am, to behold my glory." How superior 
will that sight be to all our present apprehensions of him. It will be 
clear ; it will be ceaseless ; it will be uninterrupted ; it will be perfect ; 
it will be immediate. Whatever we have read or heard of him before, 
we shall then exclaim, with the queen of Sheba, at the sight of Solo- 
mon, " The half was not told me." 



OCTOBER 21. 

" that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my 
commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for 
ever." Deut. 5 : 29. 

Here we see the character of real religion. The seat of it is the 
heart. The principle of it is thenar of God. The expression of it is 
keeping his commandments — all of them, and always. 

We have also the benefit resulting from it. The good is personal — 
that it might be well with them; and relative — and with their children ; 
and durable— for ever. 

But how lovely does God appear in the concern he here expresses. 
" that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and 
keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and 
with their children for ever." It is the language of complaint. It is 
as much as to say, "But I do not find it so." Is he then disappointed? 
Not as to fact, for he knows all things ; but he is as to right. Surely 
he may justly expect from us an attention to his voice, and the improve- 
ment of the means and advantages with which we are favored. And 
when he meets with nothing of this, he has reason to complain. And 
this is his meaning when he says, u What more could have been done for 
my vineyard, and I have not done it ? Wherefore, when I looked that 
it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?" "These 
three years I came seeking fruit, and finding none." 

It is the expression of desire. We are aware that when the Scrip- 
ture ascribes human attributes and feelings to God, they must be under-: 
stood according to the perfection of his nature. They cannot mean 
precisely the same in him as they do in us. Yet there is always a truth 
which is the basis of all such metaphorical representations. And a 
slavish adherence to systematic divinity has much injured some of the 
finest passages of revelation, and which were intended to be felt rather 
than criticised. Let it not therefore be objected, that "our God is in 
the heavens, he hath done whatsoever he pleaseth ;" and asked, " Who 
hath resisted his will?" This is his own language, " that there was 
such a heart in theml" " that thou hadst hearkened to my command- 
ments ; then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness like 
the waves of the sea." " How often would I have gathered thee as a 
hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not." Yes : 



OCTOBER 22. 511 

these are his own words, the expressions of a God that cannot lie. 
This affords me every encouragement I want. Unworthy as I am, I see 
that he does not abandon me. He is willing to save me. He is wait- 
ing to be gracious. He is exalted to have mercy upon me. What is 
the inability of men to harmonize such declarations with some other 
parts of their creed, to the oath of the living God? "As I live, saith 
the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth ; wherefore 
turn, and live ye." 

It is the dictate of parental solicitude. It is the voice, not of a 
severe legislator or judge, but of a Father — a Father who spared not 
his own Son, but delivered him up for us all ; a Father who docs not 
afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men ; a Father who says of 
the refractory child, "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I 
deliver thee, Israel ? how shall I make thee as Admah ? how shall I set 
thee as Zeboim ? my heart is turned within me, my repentings are 
kindled together ;" a Father who says of the relenting, self-bemoaning 
child, "Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I 
spake against him I do earnestly remember him still : therefore my 
bowels are troubled for him ; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith 
the Lord." How often does he assume this relation, in order to deprive 
his greatness of terror; and to render it our encouragement and our 
confidence. And not only has he said, " Like as a father pitieth his 
children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him," but he has taken for 
an image of his tenderness the heart of a mother, and surely all that is 
parental indwells there. " As one whom his mother comforteth, so will 
I comfort you." " Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she 
should not have compassion on the son of her womb?" — she may : Ah, 
ye mothers, your affection is ice, your heart is iron compared with his — 
" Yet will I not forget thee." 

Surely "he that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love." 
Can this encourage us to sin? Can we grieve his Holy Spirit? Can we 
hear him saying, in vain, " do not that abominable thing which .1 
hate?" "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance 
and long-suffering ; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee 
to repentance : but, after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest 
up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the 
righteous judgment of God ?" 



OCTOBER 22. 
"I am come that they might have life." John 10 : 10. 
Though men have differed in their definitions of life, they have all 
agreed in their estimation of it. Even the father of lies spoke truth 
when he said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for 
his life. Yet what is this life which we so highly prize, nourish with so 
much care, and to preserve which are ready to make every kind of sac- 
rifice ? What is it in duration? "A vapor that appeareth for a little 



512 MORNING EXERCISES. 

time, and then Yanisheth away." What is it in dignity ? " We spend 
our years as a tale that is told." What is it in enjoyment? Hear 
Jacob : "Few and full of evil have been the days of the years of my 
pilgrimage." "But this was, perhaps, a peculiar case." What says 
Job? "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trou- 
ble." "But he expressed himself under depression and gloom." What 
then says Solomon, who withheld his heart from no joy ? " All is vanity, 
and vexation of spirit." But here is a life that deserves the name : a 
life spiritual in its nature, endless in its continuance ; consisting, not 
of an immortality of being only, but of blessedness ; commencing in 
grace, completed in glory, and emphatically called the life of God. Of 
this life the Lord Jesus here speaks. " I am come that they might have 
life." 

He came to procure it for us. The blessing comes every way free to 
us, but it cost him dear. If we live, he must die. " The bread," said 
he " which I give, is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." 
Princes have often sacrificed the lives of their subjects to their own ; 
yea, and where their own have not been in danger, they have offered 
thousands of victims on the altar of their vanity or revenge. But the 
Prince of peace gave his life a ransom for many. He was poor : he 
was a man of sorrows. You see him agonizing in the garden, and hear 
him exclaiming on the cross, " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
me?" Why is all this? Is he guilty? "In him was no sin." Yet he 
was esteemed stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But "he was 
wounded for our transgressions ; he was bruised for our iniquities : the 
chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are 
healed." " One died for all." 

He came to announce it to us. We can derive no benefit from him 
without a dependence upon him, an application to him, a connection 
with him. But all this requires the knowledge of him, and therefore 
says God, "By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many ; 
for he shall bear their iniquities." It is true we are justified by faith, 
but " how can we believe in him of whom we have not heard ? and how 
can we hear without a preacher?" He therefore "came and preached 
peace." " I am come," said he, " a light into the world, that whosoever 
believeth on me should not walk in darkness, but have the light of 
life." He proclaimed the nature of this life, the source of it, the me- 
dium of it, the certainty of it, the present enjoyment of it. His disci- 
ples, therefore, well said, " To whom should we go, but unto thee ? thou 
hast the words of eternal life." And these words he dispensed, not 
only by his personal ministry, but by the instrumentality of others. 
What the apostles did, he did ; because he sent them, and qualified 
them ; he inspired them, and commanded them to preach the gospel to 
every creature, and also to record it, for the use of all future ages ; so 
that we can read what they delivered. 

He came to produce it in us. " The Son quickeneth whom he will." 
He received, in consequence of his death, the whole dispensation of the 



OCTOBER 23. 513 

Holy Ghost ; and hence it is called " the Spirit of Christ." And this 
Spirit is, as the apostle calls it, the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which 
makes us free from the law of sin and death. Nothing less than this 
can insure the result. It is above the efficiency of education, of ex- 
ample, of moral suasion, and of all the means of grace, without the 
grace of the means. The gospel cannot accomplish it, if it comes in 
word only. It is the Spirit that giveth life. The servant of the Lord 
is like Gehazi. He went and laid the staff upon the child, but no life 
appeared till his master himself came. Who then is Paul, and who is 
Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to 
every man? And they who were once dead in trespasses and sins, but 
are now walking in newness of life, will acknowledge that he quickened 
them ; and will readily give him the glory that is due to his holy 
name. 

In this blessed business, therefore, he is all in all. He came that we 
might have life ; came to procure it for us as our priest, to announce it 
as our prophet, to produce it as our king ; to obtain it by his blood, 
to publish it by his gospel, to bestow it by his Spirit. He is therefore 
called this life itself in the abstract : When he who is our life shall 
appear, we shall also appear with him in glory. 

But how many neglect him, and compel him to complain, Ye will 
not come unto me that ye might have life. Hence the heinousness of 
their guilt, and the dreadfulness of their condemnation. Whatever 
difficulties attend this truth, in connection with any other, they attach 
only to the explanation, not to the fact itself. Nothing can be clearer. 
from the Scripture, than that they who thus perish will destroy them- 
selves, and be treated as spiritual suicides. 

But if we desire this life, can we suppose the Saviour will refuse us, 
when we go to him for the very purpose for which he came ? Did he 
ever refuse any? Can he refuse any? He cannot, he has bound him- 
self: "Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out. 7 ' 



OCTOBER 23. 

"And that they might have it more abundantly." John 10 : 10. 

Thus he not only informs us of the design of his advent, " I am 
come that they might have life," but, like himself, adds the extensive- 
ness of it, " and that they might have it more abundantly.*' This may 
be exemplified in three comparisons. 

We have life more abundantly than Adam. His life, before the fall, 
was a noble life ; but it is surpassed by the life of the Christian. 

This is firmer as to its tenure. The life of innocency was precari- 
ous. It was suspended on the fallible will of man. The stock was in 
Adam's own hands ; and he failed, and ruined all his posterity. But 
this life can never be destroyed. The head of the new covenant ever 
liveth, and because he lives, his people shall live also : I give unto them 
eternal life, and they shall never perish. 

Mom. Exer. OO 



514 MORNING EXERCISES. 

It is richer as to its quality. The first man is of the earth, earthy ; 
the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are 
they also that are earthy ; and as is the heavenly, such are they also 
that are heavenly. It is not the primeval body of Adam which is to be 
the model in our resurrection, but the glorious body of the Saviour. 
We are to bear the image of the heavenly. Had Adam remained inno- 
cent, though he would never have died, yet must he have experienced 
a change before he could have been capable of enjoying the blessedness 
which the poorest Christian expects, for flesh and blood cannot inherit 
the kingdom of God. After a proper trial of his obedience, he would 
have been removed to a higher state ; but even then he must have been 
a stranger to many interesting feelings and delightful enjoyments, aris- 
ing from all the operations of divine grace in our recovery from the 
depths of the fall to the glories of heaven. Eden was not equal to the 
paradise above. The creation of man is excelled by his redemption. 
The righteousness of a perfect creature is far below the righteousness 
of God, in which we are not only justified, but " exalted." 

We have life more abundantly than the Jewish church. They derived 
their life from the same source with us, and it was essentially the same 
with ours. But we have it more plenteously as to knowledge, liberty, 
and enjoyment. We are fully justified in considering our spiritual 
advantages as very superior to their privileges by our Saviour himself, 
who said to his disciples, " Blessed are your eyes, for they see ; and 
your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many proph- 
ets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, 
and have not seen them ; and to hear those things which ye hear, and 
have not heard them." They had the types and shadows ; we have the 
very image of the thing. They saw the Messiah afar off, and under a 
veil ; he is with us, and we behold him with open face. They had the 
first-fruits ; we have the whole vintage. They had the dawn ; we have 
the full day. " God having provided some better thing for us, that they 
without us should not be made perfect." They, from their comparative 
darkness, were inspired with more disquiet and terror : they received 
the spirit of bondage to fear : we receive the Spirit of adoption, 
whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The way into the holiest was not then 
made manifest ; the people never entered where God dwelt between the 
cherubim : the high-priest only went in, and he only once a year. But 
we have all boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 
and may draw near in full assurance of faith. They came to a material 
mountain, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness and darkness, 
and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words ; which voice they 
that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any 
more. "But we are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the 
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of 
angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are 
written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of 
just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, 



OCTOBER 24. 515 

and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of 
Abel." 

We have life more abundantly than we had it ourselves before. Vital 
religion, though imperfect, is growing and progressive. Under the in- 
fluences of the Holy Spirit, we go from strength to strength in our 
course, and are renewed day by day in our experience. There is life 
in an acorn, but the oak has it more abundantly. There is wheat in 
the blade, but how much more in the full corn in the ear. What a dif- 
ference between Sir Isaac Newton when a babe on his mother's knee, 
and a philosopher measuring the distances of the planets. " Why, a man 
can but live." Indeed ! Do you not sometimes say, I am all languor ; 
I have no life in me ? At other times you are all vigor and alacrity. 
How you live then ! What a difference between a man confined in a 
hospital and a man at large, able to fill and enjoy his station ! A man 
may be alive, and be blind and deaf and lame, and able to eat nothing 
with a relish. Some real Christians are little better than this ; they 
are just alive. But they are to be suspected who are only anxious to 
know that they have the reality of divine grace, while they are regard- 
less of increase in the divine life. More is desirable ; more is attain- 
able. He came not only that we might have life, but have it more 
abundantly. 

Wherefore pray, "that he would grant you, according to the 
riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the 
inner man : that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith ; that ye 
being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with 
all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height ; and 
to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be 
filled with all the fulness of GU>d." 



OCTOBER 24. 

" And I will give him the morning star." Rev. 2 : 28. 

If we found any difficulty in determining the subject of this promise, 
we could refer to the Speaker's own declaration in another part of this 
book, " I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and the mora- 
ine star." Here we see the advantage of comparing one passage of 
Scripture with another. What is general in one is particularized in 
another, and what is darker in one is clearer in another. 

Does he then promise himself— I will give him the morning star? 
Yes ; he is the guide and the way, the teacher and the lesson, the priest 
and the sacrifice, the giver and the gift. He is all in all. By promis- 
ing himself he would teach us to look for happiness in himself, and not 
in the creature. He also knew that nothing else could satisfy the minds 
of his people, who would be sure to say, 

" Give what thou canst, without thee we are poor : 
And with thee rich, take what thou wilt away." 



516 MORNING EXERCISES. 

And thus also he would encourage their expectations ; for what will lie 
withhold if he gives himself? Therefore, because he could promise no 
greater, he promised himself. The bestowment of himself would have 
been greater than the bestowment of heaven ; for heaven is, so to speak, 
but a part of him. He that buildeth the house hath more honor than 
the house. 

But has he not already given himself to his people ? And yet he 
speaks as if the donation was future, I will give him the morning star. 
Yes ; as soon as they believed on him they received him, and had the 
privilege of becoming the sons of God. But as to their knowledge, 
experience, and enjoyment, he communicates himself to them by degrees. 
The apostle therefore says, after many years of communion with him, 
That I may win Christ, and be found in him ; that I may know him. 
The promise must be principally accomplished hereafter. We could not 
receive him in all his fulness now. Our place, our condition, our pow- 
ers forbid. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 

But let me survey the image : I will give him the morning star. The 
morning star, to our view, is the most beautiful and luminous. It is 
distinguished by its sparkling brightness. Many resemble Christ ; but 
in all things he has the preeminence. Prophets, priests, and kings have 
been anointed as well as he, but he was anointed with the oil of glad- 
ness above his fellows. how great is his beauty ! He is fairer than 
the children of men ; fairer than the children of God ; fairer than the 
sons of God who shouted for joy at the Creation ; yea, he is altogether 
lovely. 

But the thing is, that this luminary is the harbinger of day. There- 
fore it is called the daystar, and the morning star. The truth of the 
image, therefore, is to assure us that to those that believe on him there 
is a glorious season drawing on. The night of ignorance and error and 
sin and sorrow with them is rapidly terminating. Weeping may endure 
for the night, but joy cometh in the morning. Look ; look, Christians ! 
There is the shining pledge It never failed yet. It cannot deceive. 
Now is your salvation nearer than when you believed. The night is 
far spent ; the day is at hand ; and then your sun shall no more go 
down. 

Let this promise place me and keep me in a proper frame of mind. 
Let it raise me above the world. Let it teach me, in whatsoever state 
I am, therewith to be content. Let it induce me to rejoice evermore ; 
yea, and in every thing to give thanks. To the upright there ariseth 
light in the darkness. If in the world I have tribulation, in him I have 
peace. Many things are denied me, but I can dispense with them since 
he is mine. Why should I envy others? They succeed, they gain, they 
possess ; but J have the morning star. 

" What others value, I resign ; 
Lord, 't is enough that thou art mine : 
I shall behold thy blissful face, 
And stand complete in righteousness." 



OCTOBER 25. 517 



OCTOBER 25. 

" I am the door : by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and 
out, and find pasture." John 10 : 9. 

A door is a very familiar and. striking representation of the Lord 
Jesus. It seems hardly necessary to remark, that it must be a metaphor. 
Yet the Papists, from taking literally what is spoken in a similar in- 
stance, have introduced the monstrous doctrine of transubstantiation. 
Because, when he took the bread and the wine, our Saviour said, "This 
is my body, and this is my blood," they believe that the disciples re- 
ceived his real body and blood, and that every communicant does the 
same now when the priest has consecrated the elements : and, say they, 
we only take him at his word — nothing can be plainer. Upon the same 
principle, we may say he is timber and nails ; for he says — what can be 
clearer ? — I am the door. But can any man of common-sense, can a 
child suppose that he means any thing more than that a door is an 
image of him? 

The design of the allusion is obvious. A door is the medium of pas- 
sage, and Jesus stands between God and us. He is the mediator of 
the new covenant. God comes to us through him, and conveys all his 
blessings to us by him. And we approach God through him. I am the 
way, said he ; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. And as, 
with regard to our persons, we come unto God by him, so it is with 
regard to our services ; we offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to 
God by Jesus Christ. And with regard to both, we have boldness and 
access with confidence only by the faith of him. 

But how is the person described who derives benefit from him? 
He makes use of him for this purpose, "By me if any man enter in.' 7 
This supposes a spiritual concern. Many are careless about their souls. 
They have never been convinced of sin, never induced, from an appre- 
hension of their danger, to cry, What must I do to be saved ? They 
are men of the world, and all their anxieties are confined within the 
narrow bound of time and sense. Others, if in a degree awakened, are 
not enlightened. Their concern is erroneously directed ; for there is a 
way which seemeth right unto a man, but it ends in death. There is a 
refuge that cannot abide the storm. There is a hope that is like the 
spider's web, as curiously wrought, and as easily destroyed. The case 
is this. There is salvation in none other than in him, who was deliv- 
ered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. In the 
Lord alone have we righteousness and strength. To him, therefore, 
must men come. And to him the Christian does come. He knows not 
only that there is no salvation for him out of Christ, but that there is 
no salvation for him in Christ without a dependence upon him and an 
application to him. He knows that, as a medicine never taken can 
never cure, and as food never eaten can never nourish, so an unapplied 
Saviour is no Saviour to him. He therefore makes use of Christ for 



518 MORNING EXERCISES. 

every end he is revealed to answer. He builds upon him as a founda- 
tion. As a way, he walks in him. As a door, by him he enters in. 

And what are the advantages he obtains when admitted ? Safety. 
"He shall be saved." Saved from the curse of the law and the wrath 
to come. Saved from the roaring lion, who goeth about seeking whom 
he may devour. Saved from the king of terrors. Saved from a world 
lying in wickedness. Saved from an evil heart of unbelief, in depart- 
ing from the living God. Saved in the Lord with an everlasting sal- 
vation. 

Liberty. " He shall go in and out." A man is free in his own house. 
He goes in and out at his pleasure ; and when he goes out, he is not 
shut out like a stranger, and when he goes in, he is not shut in like a 
criminal. This, too, is the privilege of sheep under the care of a good 
shepherd. They go in ; but if they could not go out, the fold would be 
a prison. They therefore at night go in for protection, and in the morn- 
ing go out for food. The expression, therefore, is used in the Scripture 
as significant of freedom, and the meaning is, that what is done for the 
Christian's safety does not compromise his liberty. He knows the truth, 
and the truth makes him free, and he is free indeed — free to go wher- 
ever he pleases in Immanuel's land — free to partake of all the privileges 
of the sons of God. 

Plenty. " And find pasture." Ah, said one of them, realizing this, 
" The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie 
down in green pastures ; he leadeth me beside the still waters." So 
Isaiah. " They shall feed in the ways " — the ways of his commandments, 
ordinances, and dispensations — " and their pastures shall be in all high 
places," where they cannot be hid, but where they may seem unlikely 
to find supplies — as elevations, especially in warm countries, are com- 
monly barren— but he feeds them, while he lifts them up, for ever. 
Religion raises them, but not into regions of barren speculation ; for it 
is added, "They shall not hunger, nor thirst ; neither shall the heat nor 
sun smite them ; for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even 
by the springs of water shall he guide them." 



OCTOBER 26. 



"0 Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved." Jer. 
4:14. 

Though these words are addressed to Jerusalem, by a principle of 
the fairest reasoning they extend to every individual who needs the 
same purification and deliverance. And who does not ? Yea, the cir- 
cumstance strengthens the argument. Jerusalem was called the Holy 
City, the city of the living God. There stood his temple. There were 
his servants to make known his will. There they had Moses and the 
prophets. If they needed such an address, is it needless for us ? With 
all their unbelief and ingratitude, disobedience and perverseness, they 
were fair specimens of the human race. In Adam all died, and from 



OCTOBER 26. 519 

him we derive a mortal, and therefore a depraved nature. " "What is 
man, that he should be clean ; or he that is born of a woman, that he 
should be righteous ?" All therefore need pardoning mercy and sanc- 
tifying grace ; all need to be saved by the washing of regeneration and 
the renewing of the Holy Ghost. But there are two difficulties. 

First, God himself is represented as concerned for the success of the 
measure. " Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness, that thou 
mayest be saved." This interjection, with us, often implies weakness 
and grief as well as desire. We must therefore take care how we apply 
these expressions to God, lest we degrade the perfections of his nature. 
He speaks to us after the manner of men, but his condescension must 
not rob him of his glory. Yet his language is not devoid of truth. 
However metaphorical it may be, there is in it a reality that more than 
justifies it. To which we may add, that even grief and weakness had 
better be ascribed to God than insincerity. Let us be assured of this, 
that he means what he says. While he hates our sins, he loves our 
souls, and is not willing that any should perish, but that all should 
come to repentance. He is not only the righteous Governor, but the 
kind Father. This is the lovely character under which he delights to 
display himself. Hence his expostulation with himself: "How shall I 
give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I 
make thee as Admah ? how shall I set thee as Zeboim ? My heart is 
turned within me, my repentings are kindled together." Hence the 
oath he has taken : "As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in 
the death of him that dieth ; wherefore turn, and live ye." Hence the 
sacrifice of the cross : " He that spared not his own Son, but delivered 
him up for us all, how' shall he not with him also freely give us all 
things? Hence all the means he is incessantly employing to awaken 
and engage our attention to the things that belong to our peace. 
Hence he has established the ministry of reconciliation, and sends forth 
his servants to beseech us, in his name, to be reconciled unto God. 

Secondly, the work is considered as of our own achieving, and we 
are called upon to cleanse our hearts from wickedness. It would be a 
contradiction of the whole Bible were we to be regarded as the authors. 
But we are the instruments. God not only worketh in us, but by us. 
And hence, though all is of grace, yet we " will and do." We believe 
and repent, and hold on our way, and wax stronger and stronger. It 
would be an abuse of the language to infer from it that we have power 
to do this naturally, or of ourselves ; yet the address would be absurd 
had we not the ability in some other way. God has the right to com- 
mand, though we have lost the power to obey ; but this is not the 
ground of the injunction. If in him our help was not found, he would 
not thus speak to us. But it is. His grace is sufficient for us. Every 
thing necessary for our deliverance from sin is provided and presented 
in the gospel, and we must have recourse to it in the use of the means 
which he has ordained. The address, therefore, is not like a command 
to a man to flee — a thing unnatural, and which he cannot enable himself 



520 MORNING EXERCISES. 

to do — but like a command to a man who was ready to perish for want, 
to take and eat. Though he has nothing of his own, he has in view and 
at hand every kind of supply, and he is welcome to partake of it. Or 
like a command to a sick man to be cured ; he cannot indeed heal him- 
self, but he has one near him who is able and willing to heal him, and 
asks, Wilt thou be made whole ? And to this remedy he is to submit. 
All such commands are designed to make us sensible of our wants and 
weakness, and to bring us upon our knees. Then every thing is possi- 
ble. Forgiveness and sanctification are attainable — are certain. And 
having this hope in us, we purify ourselves even as he is pure. Having 
these promises, we cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and 
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 



OCTOBER 27. 



" Jerusalem, wash thy heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved." Jer, 
4:14. 

The words remind us that sin is of a defiling nature. It is there- 
fore held forth by every kind of uncleanness : by wounds and bruises, 
and putrefying sores ; by leprosy and the plague ; by mire and dirt ; 
by the rottenness and corruption of the grave. It defiles every thing it 
touches. In consequence of it the whole creation groaneth ; and all 
our eyes behold is doomed to perish like the house of the leper, under 
the law. because of the infection of the inhabitant. " do not," says 
God, " the abominable thing that I hate." " My soul loathed them." 
How great must that evil be which can induce the Creator to loathe the 
work of his own hands — the Father of all to loathe his very offspring! 
And even the God of love, the very essence of mercy, to say to them at 
last, "Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and 
his angels !" my soul, does sin appear to thee as it does to him, 
exceeding sinful ? 

Secondly, that the purification we need extends to the heart. " Wash 
thy heart from wickedness." The reason is, because this is the very 
seat of the pollution. Some, who know their lives are open to censure, 
will yet plead for the goodness of their hearts. But a good heart will 
always produce a good life, as naturally as a good tree yieldeth good 
fruit. Others contend that our corruption is not innate, but acquired ; 
derived, not from within, but from without. Yet, says the faithful and 
true Witness, "From within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil 
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wicked- 
ness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness : 
all these evil things come from within, and defile the man." Hence, 

"No outward forms can make us clean, 
The leprosy lies deep within." 

And we must be pure in heart. How is this to be ascertained ? By our 
deliverance from the love of sin. The love of sin defiles even more than 
the practice. But every man that is renewed in the spirit of his mind 



OCTOBER 28. 521 

not only avoids sin, but hates it. He feels it to be his burden and his 
grief. And while any of the abomination continues adherent to him, 
he exclaims, wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the 
body of this death? 

Thirdly, this purification is connected with salvation. " Wash thy 
heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved." It is necessary to 
salvation. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. The unright- 
eous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Indeed, in such a state, 
and with, such a disposition, the enjoyment of heaven is as impossible 
as the attainment. The exclusion, therefore, is not arbitrary, but 
unavoidable. It will certainly terminate in salvation. This is not only 
fully implied in the declaration, but it is made the matter of express 
promise : " Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man 
his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy 
upon him ; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." It is a 
part of salvation. The man who has experienced it is not only an heir, 
but a subject of the blessedness. He has not indeed the perfection of 
the being, but he has more than the title and the pledge-*-he has the 
beginning. Being made free from sin, and become the servant of God, 
he has his fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 



OCTOBER 28. 
"If any man love God, the same is known of him." 1 Cor. 8 : 3. 

There is nothing so mortifying to men as inattention and neglect. 
Many would rather be hated than neglected. The one implies that 
they are deemed something ; the other shows that they are considered 
as beneath notice. Hence we are anxious to be known of our fellow- 
creatures, especially of those who are placed above us, and can take us 
by the hand, and raise us up, and put us forward in life. 

Yet, as men of low degree are vanity, so men of high degree are a 
lie. After all our servile attentions and compliances, we are never 
sure of gaining their regard ; and if gained, what could even their zeal 
do for us in our most important interests? Let us turn our anxiety 
another way. Let us sanctify it. Let us make it the medium of our 
happiness. Let us be concerned to please God. Then we shall be sure 
to succeed ; and success will be every thing : for in his favor is life. 
"If any man love God, the same is known of him." 

This knowledge being spoken of as the highest privilege, it must 
intend much more than a mere acquaintance with the subjects of it ; for 
thus all are known of him. 

The least thing intended is discernment. The Lord knows their con- 
dition ; knows all their walking through this great wilderness ; knows 
all their trials ; knows the pressure of every burden they bear ; knows 
their frame, and remembers that they are dust. He perceives all their 
dangers. Their enemies may plot against them, but they do it in the 
sMit of their Father and Friend. And as to their persons, the Lord 



522 MORNING EXERCISES. 

knoweth them that are his. He never overlooks them in the crowd. 
If there was only one of them in a village, or city, or nation, he would 
have his eye upon him. However misrepresented and reproached, he 
recognizes them as upright before him. However obscure their condi- 
tion, he views them as the excellent of the earth. However little their 
faith, he watches the tears with which they cry, "Lord, I believe ; help 
thou mine unbelief." However encompassed with infirmities, which 
sometimes perplex others, He who knows what is the mind of the Spirit, 
knows that they love him. We can only judge of motives by actions, 
but God judges of actions by motives. He seeth the heart ; in conse- 
quence of which, in estimating the services of his people, he admits into 
the amount not only all they do, but all they design to do, and wish to 
do when they are hindered ; and accepts them according to what they 
have, and not according to what they have not. Even this is a source 
of satisfaction to the Christian. 

But this knowledge also takes in approbation. "The Lord knoweth 
the way of the righteous." So he does the way of the ungodly. But 
the meaning is, he approves it ; he commends it. " The Lord taketh 
pleasure in them that fear him ; in them that hope in his mercy." He 
regards them with complacency, as the work of his own hands. He 
esteems them as his jewels, his bride, his offspring. Their prayer is his 
delight ; their alms, the odor of a sweet smell. Approbation must be 
valued according to the condition and character of the being from whom 
it comes. It would be a reproach to pass for the favorite of Satan. 
The first Christians would also have deemed the friendship of the world 
no recommendation, for they were satisfied to say, " The world knoweth 
us not, because it knew him not." A great personage reflects a lustre 
upon those that are near him ; a person would be ambitious to be seen 
intimate with the king. And to live in the affections of the wise and 
good, says a fine writer, is like walking in an Eastern spice-grove. 
What a dignity is it, then, to walk with God. What a blessedness to 
hear Him say, " Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been 
honorable, and I have loved thee." And what shall be done for the 
man whom the King of kings delighteth to honor ? 

For this knowledge is acknowledgment. The apostle, admonishing 
the Thessalonians, says, "Know them that labor among you, and are 
over you in the Lord ;" that is, own them with respect, and verbally 
and practically treat them as their office requires. Thus God claims 
his people. He owns them in the dispensations of his providence, and. 
in the agency of his grace. He signalizes them in life. He does it 
often more peculiarly in death, so that his saints are joyful in glory, and 
shout aloud upon their beds ; and induce their very enemies to exclaim. 
" Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his." 
But above all, they shall be mine, saith the Lord, in that day when I 
make up my jewels. He will confess them before the assembled earth 
and heavens, and place them nearer the throne than angels. 

Of what importance, then, is the love of God. And how carefully 



OCTOBER 29. 523 

should we inquire whether it be shed abroad in our hearts. Nothing 
can be a substitute for this affection. Without it, our knowledge, our 
gifts, our faith itself, are vain. If we have any thing like devotion, it 
is formality. If we have peace, it is delusion. If we have safety, it is 
a refuge of lies. And though we may go to the very door of heaven, 
and knock, and say, Lord, Lord, open unto us, he will profess, " I never 
knew you ; depart.' 7 



OCTOBER 29 



" In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee." Psa. 8G : 7. 

This was the language of David. David was a king, and a saint. 
He was preeminently great and good. Yet neither does his rank nor 
his godliness exempt him from trouble. 

But it is well to see what such a man does when trouble cometh upon 
him. And here we have his resolution : "In the day of my trouble will 
I call upon thee. 7 ' 

This was the wisest thing he could do, and it is the best thing we 
can do. For, first, prayer is enjoined upon us in trouble. The will of 
God is our rule. And who can be ignorant of his command ? Who 
has not read, " Is any afflicted ? let him pray. 77 

Secondly, prayer is the design of trouble. He does not afflict will- 
ingly, or grieve the children of men. He has an end worthy his wis- 
dom and his goodness to answer by every trial. It is to bring us to 
himself, and to bring us nearer to himself. It is to quicken us to pray 
more frequently, more earnestly. "I will go and return to my place, 
till they acknowledge tlieir offence and seek my face. In their afflic- 
tion they will seek me early. 77 

Thirdly, prayer is the evidence that trouble is sanctified. It is a 
great thing not to lose a trial. A trial is never neutral in its effect. It 
always injures or improves. It is worse than nothing when it sends us 
to the creature, either in the way of accusation or relief. But when we 
turn to Him that smiteth us, and acknowledge that his judgments, are 
right, and cast ourselves at his feet, resolved, if we perish, there to die, 
we need not say, with Job, " I am afraid of all my sorrows ; 77 but con- 
fess, with David, " It is good for me that I have been afflicted. 77 

Fourthly, prayer is the solace of trouble. There is some relief in 
tears, and therefore nature is provided with them. It eases and soothes 
the bursting heart to pour our grief into the ear of a friend, who 
having rejoiced when we rejoiced, will weep when we weep. But how 
good is it to draw near to God ! How delightful is it, like Job, to pour 
out our tears unto him, and resemble the child that sobs himself to 
sleep in his mother 7 s arms, and on his mother 7 s breast. "A glorious 
high throne from the beginning, 77 says the church, "has been the place 
of our sanctuary. 77 A temple that no evil enters ; an asylum that no 
enemy invades. There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the 
weary are at rest. 



524 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Fifthly, prayer is the medium of our deliverance from trouble. For 
this release, we are allowed to be concerned. But we must seek it from 
God. And in doing this, we have not only his power to encourage us, 
and nothing is too hard for him, but his goodness and love ; and " like 
as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." 
Yea, more, we have his faithfulness and truth that we shall not seek 
him in vain. He has engaged to appear to our joy, in his own time and 
way. He has bound himself, and put the bond into our hand ; and we 
can produce it, and plead it, and be surer of the fulfilment than we are 
of the continuance of heaven and earth : " For heaven and earth shall 
pass away, but his word shall not pass away." Here it is : " Call upon 
me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify 
me." "Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver 
him ; I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall 
call upon me, and I will answer him : I will be with him in trouble ; I 
will deliver him, and honor him." 



OCTOBER 30. 

"Messiah the Prince." Dan. 9 :25. 

This is not the only character of the Messiah. But we must con- 
nect it with every representation we have of him, that his glory may 
not be injured by his condescension, nor his authority diminished by his 
kindness. Is he exalted at the right hand of God? It is to be "a 
Prince," as well as "a Saviour." Is he a Priest? He is " a Priest upon 
his throne." 

How is this Prince designated ? 

He is "the Prince of the kings of the earth" They often think lit- 
tle of him, and imagining themselves their own, say, Who is Lord over 
us? But wherein they deal proudly, he is above them. They are all 
raised by his power ; they are all controllable by his will ; they are all 
subservient to his designs : they are all amenable to his tribunal. Hence 
his avowal, " By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me 
princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth." Hence the 
admonition, "Be wise now therefore, O ye -kings: be instructed, ye 
judges of the earth. Serve. the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trem- 
bling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way when 
his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their 
trust in him." 

He is " the Prince of peace" He came to mediate between heaven 
and earth, and we are reconciled unto God by the death of his Son. 
Men talk of making their peace with God. If our tears, or works, or 
alms could have availed for this purpose, the world would never have 
witnessed the sufferings of Christ. But he made peace by the blood of 
his cross. One died for all : and he was more than all. The value of 
his sacrifice was infinite ; and every end that could have been answered 
by the destruction of a world of sinners, has been equally and better 



OCTOBER 31. 525 

answered by the death of the Saviour. Nothing will effectually satisfy 
an awakened conscience but what satisfied the justice of God. But 
surely this will suffice. When, therefore, it is apprehended and applied 
by faith, we enter into rest, and feel a peace within which passeth all 
understanding. By his grace, too, he reconciles us to our duty and to 
our condition. He frees us from those anxieties and fears which an 
idolatrous regard to creatures excites, and enables us to be careful for 
nothing by casting all our care upon him, who careth for us. Also by 
subduing our pride and selfishness, by which alone come contention, 
and inspiring us with love, the bond of perfectness, we live in harmony 
with our fellow-creatures. Yea, we are in league with the stones of 
the field ; and the beasts of the field are at peace with us. 

He is "the Prince of life. 11 Other princes, however powerful, are 
mortal ; and this is a reason why we should not put our trust in them : 
their breath goeth forth, they return to their dust ; in that very day their 
thoughts perish. But Jesus liveth for ever ; and because he lives, his 
people live also. Other princes, while they are living themselves, can- 
not impart life to others ; though, alas, they often take it away, and 
sacrifice thousands of their subjects to their own lusts. But Jesus had 
not only life in himself, but came that we might have life, and have it 
more abundantly. He procured, and he communicates and sustains a 
life superior to that of Adam in paradise, and to that of angels in 
glory. This is the promise that God hath promised us, even eternal life. 
And this life is in his Son. He therefore that hath the Son hath life, 
and he that hath not the Son hath not life. 

He has other designations, and all come short of his praise. But 
these are sufficient to show how safe and how happy all they are who 
have become his subjects. It was a fine compliment that Hiram paid 
Solomon, when he said, " Surely because the Lord loved Israel, therefore 
made he thee king over them." How much more has God shown his 
goodness to his people, in setting this King over his holy hill of Zion. 
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them make their 
boast in the Lord, and in his righteousness be exalted. 

Let them also be concerned to approve themselves wise and good 
and loyal subjects to the best of princes ; so that instead of disgracing 
him, they may be to him for a name and a praise among all those who 
shall hear of so great a people. 

But woe to those who reject his sceptre. " As for these mine ene- 
mies, who would not that I should reign over them, bring them forth, 
and slay them before me." 



OCTOBER 31. 

" Prayer shall be made for him continually." Psa. 72 : 15. 

We are not only to pray, but to pray without ceasing. We are not 
only to pray for ourselves, but for others. We are to pray for kings, 
and all that are in authority ; for ministers ; for all saints ; for even 



526 MORNING EXERCISES. 

our enemies, who despitefully use us, and persecute us ; and what may 
seem strange, we are to pray for Jesus Christ. "Prayer also shall be 
made for him continually." 

Is prayer then necessary for him ? Is he not above the reach of 
danger, pain, and want? Yes ; he who once had not where to lay his 
head, has all power in heaven and in earth ; he dieth no more ; death 
hath no more dominion over him. The meaning, therefore, cannot be 
that prayer should be continually made for him personally, but rela- 
tively. Owing to the interest he has in certain objects, what is done 
for them is done for himself, and so he esteems it. We therefore pray 
for him when we pray for his ministers, his ordinances, his gospel, his 
church — in a word, his cause. David, therefore, exemplifying what he 
had foretold, immediately breaks forth and says, " And blessed be his 
glorious name for ever ; and let the whole earth be filled with his 
glory. Amen, and amen. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are 
ended." 

But what should we pray for on his behalf? Our prayers should 
vary with the state of his cause ; but we should always bear four things 
upon our minds. First, the degree of its resources ; that there be al- 
ways a sufficiency of suitable and able instruments to carry on the work. 
To this the Saviour himself directs us : " The harvest truly is great, 
but the laborers are few ; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest 
that he would send forth laborers into his harvest." Secondly, the free- 
dom of its administration ; that whatever opposes or hinders its prog- 
ress may be removed. " Pray for us," says the apostle, " that the word 
of the Lord may have free course and be glorified." Thirdly, the diffu- 
sion of its principles ; that they may become general and universal, 
spreading through every family, neighborhood, and province and realm. 
So prayed of old even the pious Jew : "That thy way may be known on 
earth, thy saving health among all nations. Let the people praise 
thee, God ; yea, let all the people praise thee." Fourthly, the in- 
crease of its glory as well as its extent ; that it may abound more in 
wisdom, purity, spirituality, charity, and zeal ; that the light of the 
moon may be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun be seven- 
fold as the light of seven days ; that for brass he would bring gold ; 
and for iron, silver ; and for wood, brass ; and for stones, iron. Thus, 
they that make mention of the Lord are to " give him no rest," not 
only until he " establish," but " make Jerusalem a praise in the whole 
earth." 

But why should we be concerned to pray for him? Consistency 
requires it. We are the professors of Christ. We profess to be his 
servants ; but can we be wise and good servants if we are neglectful of 
our Master's affairs ? We profess to be his subjects ; but can we be 
loyal subjects if we are indifferent to the glory of our Sovereign? We 
profess to be his friends ; but can we be true and faithful friends unless 
we make his interests our own, mourn over his dishonor, and rejoice in 
his prosperity ? Benevolence requires it. The gospel is the greatest 



OCTOBER 81. 527 

of all blessings to the children of men. Wherever it enters, the wil- 
derness and the solitary place is made glad, and the desert rejoices and 
blossoms as the rose. It is the power of God to salvation to every one 
that believeth ; and where it does not save the soul, it yields a thou- 
sand advantages to the community. Who would not wish him success ? 
His career is the march of truth and righteousness and peace. He 
makes the widow's heart to sing for joy. In him the fatherless findeth 
mercy. 

" Blessings abound where'er He reigns : 

The prisoner leaps to lose his chains ; 

The weary find eternal rest, 

And all the sons of want are blessed." 

Gratitude requires it. How much do we owe him ! When we consider 
what he has done, is doing, and will do for us, all we are and all we 
have appear to be his by a thousand claims ; and nothing can equal our 
vileness if we are not led hourly to ask, What shall I render unto the 
Lord for all his benefits ? Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? 

But what reason have we to conclude that these prayers for him will 
be heard ? Much every way. The prayers indeed even of good men 
are not always answered. Sometimes they know not what they ask. 
And when they implore what would prove evil, God's wisdom and kind- 
ness lead him to refuse. But whatsoever we ask according to his will, 
he heareth us. And has he not commanded us to pray that his king- 
dom may come? Has he not promised it? Is not the grand condition 
fulfilled, " When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall 
see his seed ; he shall prolong his days ; and the pleasure of the Lord 
shall prosper in his hands?" Can his death be unavailable? Can the 
engagements of the everlasting covenant be made void? We cannot 
pray for him in vain. 

But what is necessary to evince that our praying for him is sincere ? 
For there is much prayer that is a mere mockery of God. Out of their 
own mouths many will be condemned hereafter ; and they would feel 
themselves condemned already, were it not that the heart is deceitful 
above all things as well as desperately wicked. A man prays to re- 
deem his time, and to have his conversation in heaven ; and goes and 
sits in a place of dissipation for the answer. A father prays for the 
salvation of his child ; and does all in his power to leave him affluent, 
and surrounded with temptations that render his conversion a miracle. 
A third prays to be condemned ; for he prays, Forgive us our tres- 
passes, as we forgive them that trespass against us ; and he is implaca- 
ble. When a man sincerely desires a thing, in proportion as he desires 
it he will seek after it, and use all the means placed within his reach to 
obtain it. When therefore a person professes a great concern for a 
thing, and neglects whatever is necessary to it, we make no scruple to 
tax him with folly or falsehood. Let us do in religious matters what 
we do in other cases : let us judge of our faith by our practice, and of 
our hearts by our lives. 



528 MORNING EXERCISES. 

What then, you say, must we do to prove that our prayers in the 
cause of Christianity are sincere? Do ! Some of you should come for- 
ward and offer to go forth as missionaries. What hinders ? Nothing 
in your condition, nothing in your connections. Nothing but the love 
of ease, and the fear of suffering, and the want of the spirit of the 
prayer, Arise, G Lord, and plead thine own cause. Do ! Live for him. 
All cannot go abroad, but all have a sphere in which they may be 
useful. They may hold forth the word of life by their temper and con- 
versation. Do! Employ all your influence with others, provoking 
them to love and to good works. Do ! Give according to your oppor- 
tunity and ability, exercising self-denial to enlarge your ability. Read 
the whole verse of our text : " And he shall live, and to him shall be 
given of the gold of Sheba : prayer also shall be made for him contin- 
ually ; and daily shall he be praised." 



NOVEMBER 1. 

•'How readest thou?" Luke 10 : 26. 

It is well to be able to read. Thousands are not, and so cannot 
thus agreeably fill up their leisure moments, nor improve their minds 
by the written communications of others. But whatever a thing be in 
itself, the use we are to make of it is to determine whether it be to us 
good or evil, a blessing or a curse. 

Some will lament for ever that they were taught to read. They 
never improved so great a talent. Yea, they perverted and abused it. 
They read books which undermined their principles, defiled their imagi- 
nations, and demoralized their lives. . But others are thankful for such 
an attainment. It has afforded them not only gratification and profit, 
but spiritual improvement and consolation. One, in reading, has been 
converted from the error of his ways ; another has been guided in his 
experimental and practical doubts and difficulties ; a third has been 
revived while walking in the midst of trouble. 

And if this has been the case while reading other books, how much 
more while reading the Scriptures of truth. This volume you are 
bound, above all other books, to read. It is your duty ; it is your priv- 
ilege. But how readest thou? How ought you to read it? 

First, you ought to read it as the dictates of inspiration. You do 
not perhaps deny or question this, but you ought actually and frequently 
to impress the mind with it, that when you open these pages you may 
say, " I will hear what God the Lord will speak." " Speak, Lord ; for 
thy servant heareth." The apostle admonishes the Hebrews not to 
turn away from him that speaketh from heaven. He does not say, who 
spoke, but who speaketh. The address is to be considered as immediate. 
It is so to us as well as to those who originally heard it. Had it been 
just written, it could have had no more authority, and have been no 
more deserving of attention, than now. How much depends upon this 



NOVEMBER 1. 529 

advice. For as we receive the word, so shall we be affected by it. If 
we regard it as false, it will produce no result ; if as human, it will 
influence as human ; but if divine, it will operate divinely. Hence 
says the apostle to the Thessalonians, " For this cause also thank wc 
God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which 
ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in 
truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that 
believe." 

Secondly, let him that readeth understand. The eunuch, returning 
from Jerusalem in his chariot, was reading, and reading even the proph- 
ecies of Isaiah ; but Philip said to him, "Understandest thou what thou 
readest?" To know the meaning of the Scriptures, it is a good thing 
to read on till we come to the end of a paragraph or subject, regardless 
of the divisions in chapters and verses. These breaks arcuseful, and 
they are generally made in their proper places, but not always ; in con- 
sequence of which, the sense is injure'd or darkened by the writer's clos- 
ing before he has finished, or commencing something in the middle of 
the argument. 

Neither should we lay too much stress on a particular word or 
phrase, but be guided by the natural current of the passage, and en- 
deavor always to apprehend what is the present design of the sacred 
writer. Here good common-sense will often dannore than the learned 
affectations of expositors, who frequently eli^e the solution of a difficult 
text, and throw doubts into a clear > one. While we ought to avail our- 
selves of every assistance from the labors of others, and above all, to 
exercise^our own minds, we must be humble in our .inquiries, and feel 
and acknowledge our need of divine guidance to lead us into all truth. 
"Open thou mine eyes, that.»I ma^^see w/mdrous things out of thy 
law." So prayed David, and so must we. "If any of you lack wisdom, 
let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth 
not ; and it shall be given him." Thus the wayfaring man, though a 
fool, shall not err ; and without this, the scholar and the genius will for 
ever go astray. The great impediment to divine knowledge is the state 
ofiM heart ; and as soon as wa^^mad^^Lj ^en^tfle o^ur need of 
what.ttie gospel is designed to afford, and willing to be saved in the 
Dor <r& own way, and towa*k so^#&>'.>pl ease -him^ver^ Ihmg opens 
easily and delightfully ; and the path of the Justus as tneshinfng light, 
that shineth more and more unto the perfect day) But this can only be 
obtained from " the Spirit of truth." 

Thirdly, we should read with a view to self-application. Instead of 
thinking of others— which is too frequently the case— we should think 
of ourselves, inquiring how it bears upon our own character and condi- 
tion, and how, as Lord Bacon says, it comes home to our own businesses 
and bosoms. If I read a threatening, " my soul, do I stand exposed 
to this danger?" If I read a promise, "May I claim this blessing?" 
If I read a reproof or a commendation, " Am I censured by the one, or 
encouraged by the other ?" " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" 

Morn. Exer. 34 



530 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Fourthly, we should read with a determination to reduce what we 
read to experience and practice. The design of all the instruction con- 
tained in the Scripture is to bear upon the conscience and the life. The 
doctrine is not only according to grace, but according to godliness. If 
ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. This is the way to 
increase with all the increase of God. To him that hath shall be given, 
and he shall have more abundantly. If a man do his will, he shall 
know of his doctrine. We may apply to reading what the apostle 
James has said of hearing : " But be ye doers of the word, and not 
readers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a reader of the 
word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face 
in a glass ; for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway 
forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the 
perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful 
reader, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." 



NOVEMBER 2. 

" His time in the flesh." 1 Peter 4 : 2. 

" Flesh " is not to be taken here morally, but physically. It is not 
here used to signify our corruption, but our present existence, as when 
Paul says, The life that I now live " in the flesh," I live by the faith of 
the Son of God. It intendg, therefore, our life while in the body. For 
we shall not be in it always : a period is approaching when the dust 
shall return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God 
who gave it. 

Our "time" in the flesh varies in circumstances with regard to indi- 
viduals, but it has four general characters applicable to all the human 
race. 

First, it is checkered. The young may look forward and view life 
in the fascinations of hope, and the aged may look back and more con- 
genially dwell on the gloomy than on the cheerful ; and the same man, 
in the hour of present impression, may feel himself too much elated or 
too much depressed with ^i^ condition, but the truth is the same. It is 
neither a paradisiacal nor a wilderness scene. It is neither entirely 
dark nor light, but intermingled. snjjshine and* shade. Who ever found 
life so smootti as to have no roughness ? And who ever had sickness 
without ease, or sorrow without comfort ? And who is now authorized 
to say, To-morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant? or, 
Mine eye shall no more see good ? 

Secondly, it is short. And short not only as to eternity and the 
ages of men before the flood, but absolutely short. The general dura- 
tion is threescore years and ten. But much of this is nothing as to the 
superior purposes of our being. We do not mean business ; this may 
not only be rendered consistent with religion, but is made, by a Chris- 
tian who abides with God in his calling, a part of it. But there is the 
weakness of infancy, and the childhood of age. There are the deduc- 



NOVEMBER 3. 531 

tions of medful sleep, and allowed recreation, and unavoidable inter- 
course. It is often also cut short. How few reach seventy ! And those 
who do, commonly look iu vain to find any of the associates of their 
youth or their maturity. Every thing expressive of brevity is seized 
by the sacred writers to hold forth the brevity of our time in the flesh— 
a flower, a flood, a tale, a dream, a vapor, a ship before the wind, an 
eagle pouncing on his prey. There is but a step between us and death. 

Thirdly, it is uncertain. How can it be otherwise when we con- 
sider the diseases and accidents to which we are continually exposed, 
and the feebleness of our frame, and the number and delicacy of the 
organs of which the body is composed ? Sixty times every minute, as 
our pulse tells us, the question is asked whether we shall live or die. 
The fool in the gospel said, I have much goods laid up for many years : 
soul, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry ; but that very night his 
soul was required of him. Persons just ready to enter connected life, 
have been called from marriage rites to attend funeral solemnities. 
The owners have been just ready to take possession of a new mansion, 
but have been carried to their long home. And the traveller, starting 
for his journey, has gone the way of all the earth. 

But, fourthly, it is important. Yea, all-important, by reason of its 
relation to another and an eternal state. It is not only an introduction 
to this state, but a preparation for it. It is influentially connected with 
it, as the sowing with the harvest. Our thoughts, words, and actions 
are the seed ; and whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 
The present is the only season of obtaining justification and renovation, 
title to heaven, and a meetness for it. Now is the accepted time, now 
is the day of salvation. 

The same will apply to our doing good, as well as to our gaining 
good. Our time in the flesh is the only season in which we can glorify 
God, and serve our generation. What a treasure then is life ! And 
how concerned should we be to work while it is day, seeing the night 
cometh, wherein no man can work. In this one article the saints below 
are more privileged than the saints above ; and we are persuaded that 
those who have entered their rest would be willing, were it the pleasure 
of God, to come down and reenter this vale of tears, to have the oppor- 
tunities of usefulness we enjoy — who can be candid towards those who 
differ from us, forgive injuries, visit and relieve the afflicted, spread the 
gospel, teach the ignorant, save souls from death, and hide a multitude 
of sins. " Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might ; for 
there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, 
whither thou goest." 



NOVEMBER 3. 

"As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." 2 Cor. 6 : 10. 

This is the duty, this is the privilege of the Christian. Whether 
he considers and feels himself in a state of exile, or warfare, or perplex- 



532 MORNING EXERCISES. 

ity, or penury, or varying experience, or misapprehension from others, 
if " sorrowful," he may and he ought to be able to say, " Yet always 
rejoicing." 

Though dwelling with strangers around, 

And foreign and weary the land, 
I homeward to Zion am bound — 

The day of release is at hand. 
Then Mesech and Kedar farewell, 

To enter my welcome abode ; 
With friends and with angels to dwell, 

With Jesus, my Saviour and God. 

Though constantly summoned to arms, 

And legions against me combine, 
I -m calm in the midst of alarms, 

My weapons and cause are divine, 
A Captain almighty I own ; 

And bannered by faith in his name, 
I shout, ere the battle is won — 

I more than a conqueror am ! 

Perplexings though often I feel, 

And mazy the paths that I tread, 
My God has been leading me still, 

And still he has promised to lead. 
The crooked shall all be made straight, 

The darkness shall beam into light ; 
I have but a moment to wait, 

And faith shall be turned into sight. 

If small my allotment below, 

I will not at others repine : 
Their joy is the gilding of woe, 

Their wealth they must quickly resign. 
Though poor, how much richer am I ! 

In want I have all I desire ; 
My treasures the soul can supply, 

And last when the stars shall expire. 

If, weeping and fearing, I pass 

Through changes in state and in frame ; 
Yet constant in power and grace, 

My Saviour is always the same. 
No shadow of turning he knows, 

Whose bliss is the fountain of mine ; 
And while his eternity flows, 

My happiness cannot decline. 

How little the multitude know, 

Or, knowing, how little they prize, 
- The spring whence my joys ever flow, 

Or source of my bitterest sighs. 
But both the dear secret reveal, 

That Jesus hath softened this heart ; 
And soon all my joys will fulfil. 

And bid all my sighing depart. 



NOVEMBER 4. 533 

NOVEMBER 4. 

" Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him." Matt. 8 : 7. 

We may consider these words as 

An answer to prayer. And let us observe whose prayer it was. He 
never said to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me, in vain. But this centurion 
was an alien from the commonwealth of Israel — a Roman, a Gentile. 
Yet he is immediately heard. " Whosoever shall call upon the name of 
the Lord shall be saved." For there is no difference between the Jew 
and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon 
him. Whoever I am, let me therefore apply to him, animated by the 
assurance, "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." 

Let us observe, also, what prayer it was. It was not a prayer for 
the petitioner himself, but for another. As he never refused any who 
addressed him on their own behalf, so he never refused any that 
addressed him on the account of others. Let this teach and encourage 
us to pray for others. Let friends pray for friends, and parents for 
their children, and masters and mistresses for their servants : we are 
commanded to pray for all men. 

We may consider the words as an instance of condescension. He was 
fairer than the children of men ; higher than the kings of the earth. 
All the angels of God worshipped him. Yet no sooner is his goodness 
implored, than in a moment he is ready to go and stand by the side of 
the pallet of a poor sick slave : I will come and heal him. The master 
was very humane and compassionate, or he would not have taken the 
trouble to send to our Lord on the behalf of one considered so much 
below him. What is a slave, to many an owner? No more than a 
beast of burden. David found an Egyptian in the field, who had eaten 
no bread nor drunk any water for three days and three nights : " And 
David said unto him, To whom belongest thou, and whence art thou? 
And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite ; 
and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick." A wretch ! 
How unlike him was this centurion. But he, even he, is surprised, and 
scarcely knows how to accept of the Saviour's offer. Yea, he even 
deems it condescension to himself. I am not worthy that thou shouldest 
come under my roof. And shall not we condescend to men of low 
estate? "Did not he that made me in the womb make him, and did 
not one fashion us in the wcmb ?" 

We may consider the words as a display of power. I will come and 
attend him, would be the language of a friend. I will come and pray 
with him, would be the language of a minister. I will come and 
examine his case, and see if I can afford him relief, would be the lan- 
guage of the physician. But Jesus speaks like himself, " I will come 
and heal him." He knew his own sufficiency. And the centurion knew 
it. It was the principle of his reasoning : " Though I am not the com- 
mander-in-chief, but a subordinate officer, yet it is not necessary even 



534 MORNING EXERCISES. 

for me to go to a place in order to act. My word is enough. I say to 
one of my soldiers, Go, and he goeth ; to another, Come, and he cometh ; 
and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. How much more, Lord, 
are all creatures and events under thy control. Thy word runneth 
very swiftly. Neither disease nor death can withstand it." So our 
Saviour understood him. He therefore admired him, and said, I have 
not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And we should have the 
same strong confidence in his ability : that he is mighty to save, able to 
save to the uttermost them that come unto God by him. For 

We may consider the words as affording an emblem of the salvation of 
the sinner. Whatever some may think of human nature, we are fallen 
creatures : we are spiritually diseased, and there is no health in us, and 
we are ready to perish, and are incapable of revering ourselves ; but he 
says, Lo, I come ; I will come and heal him. It was the design of his 
coming in the flesh. " The Son of man is come to seek and to save that 
which was lost." It is the purpose of his coming now in the agency of 
his grace : I will bring them, says he, health and cure. He heals them 
meritoriously, by his stripes ; efficiently, by his Spirit ; instrumentally, 
by his word, ordinances, and providences. The recovery, indeed, he is 
pleased to carry on by degrees. He could, by one application, yea, by 
one volition, remove all their complaints ; but it does not comport with 
his wisdom. His people, therefore, continue his patients ; and are no 
more than convalescents all through life. But if slow, the recovery is 
sure. Nothing can elude his skill, or baffle his remedy. When dying, 
they may say, with Baxter, " Almost well." And when they enter 
Immanuel's land, the inhabitants shall no more say, I am sick. 



NOVEMBER 5. 

"This God is our God for ever and ever." Psa. 48 : 14. 

This is the language of a proprietary in God. And it is founded 
in truth. In the covenant of grace established not with them, but with 
the surety, he has, so to speak, made over himself to his people, saying, 
I will be thy God. I am thine, and all that I have : my perfections, 
my relations, my works, my word, my ordinances, my dispensations. I 
am thy salvation. To thee I am all in all. Hence there is no propriety 
like this, not only for the value of it, but the reality itself. Justly 
speaking, nothing else is our own. Our time is not our own ; our wealth 
is not our own : our children are not our own ; our bodies, our souls 
are not our own. But God is our own : and God, even our own God 
shall bless us. 

It is the language of an assured proprietary. This God is our God. 
The relation may be known and claimed. And with what a repetition 
does David express it : * I will love thee, Lord, my strength. The 
Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my 
strength, in whom I will trust ; my buckler, and the horn of my salva- 
tion, and my high tower." Here are no less, in a few words, than nine 



NOVEMBER 6. 535 

appropriations. And how desirable is it to be able to ascertain and 
express our own interest in all his engagements. 

" When I can say my God is mine, 
When I can feel thy glories shine, 
I tread the world beneath my feet, 
And all that earth calls good and great." 

Then I am satisfied with his goodness. But can the thing be made out? 
and how ? They mistake who suppose this relation results from our 
choosing him, and giving ourselves to him. We do this indeed, but it 
is by his grace. And in us this is the effect, and not the cause. But as 
it is the effect, it is therefore the evidence. And in this way we are to 
trace back the stream to the fountain, making our calling, and thereby 
our election, sure. If we have chosen him, we may be assured he has 
chosen us ; and if we love him, we may be assured he loves us, for one 
is the consequence of the other. We love him because he first loved us. 

It is the language of a permanent proprietary. This God is our God 
for ever and ever. Without this, the blessedness would make us misera- 
ble. The dearer and greater a treasure be, the more alive we are to 
anxiety and fear ; and nothing but the assurance of its safety can enable 
us cordially to enjoy it. No confidence is so well founded as the Chris- 
tian's. Every other possession is precarious. Every other relation is 
breaking up. But he may, he can say, " I am persuaded that neither 
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things 
present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other crea- 
ture, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in 
Christ Jesus our Lord." ' 

It is the language of an exulting proprietary. Boasting is excluded 
by the law of faith. But what boasting ? All glorying in ourselves, 
but not in God. " My soul," says David, " shall make her boast in the 
Lord : the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad." " This is my 
beloved, and this is my friend, ye daughters of Jerusalem. What is 
yours ?" So here. This God is our God for ever and ever. What is 
yours, ye sons of men? Their rock is not as our rock, our enemies 
themselves being judges. 

NOVEMBER 6. 

"There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets." Dan. 2 : 28. 

Daniel was perhaps the most blameless character recorded in the 
Scriptures. Of course He is excepted from the comparison, who was 
" fairer than the children of men." Neither do we mean to intimate 
that Daniel was sinless. He had an evil heart to lament before God ; 
but with regard to his conduct before men, as a professor of religion, 
nothing is laid to his charge. And what an honor was it to be spoken 
of, while living, and while young too, by a prophet, in company with 
Noah and Job, as one of those who were most likely to have power 
with God as intercessors. 



536 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Here we see his humility. The king said unto him, " Art thou able 
to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpre- 
tation thereof? Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, 
The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the 
astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king ; but 
there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets." Why does he mention 
this, but because he would prevent the commendation of himself, and 
that the only wise God should have the glory that was due unto his 
holy name ? And thus another fine character, jealous of the divine 
honor, said to his sovereign, " It is not in me. God shall give Pharaoh 
an answer of peace." The most eminent of all characters in the Chris- 
tian church also said, " By the grace of God I am what I am : and his 
grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain ; but I labored 
more abundantly than they all : yet not I, but the grace of God which 
was with me." Contrast with these, two of the most famous of the 
heathen philosophers and moralists : one of whom said, " That we 
have riches, is of the gods ; but that we have wisdom, is of ourselves." 
And the other, " A good man is, in one respect, above the gods them- 
selves ; for they are good by the necessity of nature, but he is good by 
choice.' 7 

But what is the praise that Daniel transfers from himself to God ? 
The revelation of secrets. Men are fond of secrets. With regard to 
themselves, they are always wishful to pry into futurity. Almanacs 
must therefore have something to feed this humor, or half their number 
would not be sold. Mistresses as well as servant-maids, the old as well 
as the young, would show their palms to the fortune-teller, were it not 
for the fear of ridicule. Were the witch of Endor alive, many would 
repair to her ; and like Saul, consult the devil himself at second-hand. 
Envy makes us inquisitive with regard to rivals ; fear, with regard to 
enemies ; and love, with regard to friends. It was curiosity, operating 
in a way of attachment, that led Peter to inquire after the destination 
of John : " Lord, and what shall this man do ?" But the Lord did not 
even encourage this : "What is that to thee? follow thou me." 

The secret things belong unto God, but things that are revealed are 
for us, and for our children. Concerning many things he is silent ; 
and where he says nothing, we are not to be wise above what is 
written. 

But He can reveal secrets. His understanding is infinite. Hell is 
naked before him, and destruction hath no covering. " Neither is there 
any creature that is not manifest in his sight : but all things are naked 
and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." 

He has revealed secrets. He enabled Daniel to explain the import 
of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and foretell the succession of the four 
monarchies. He showed Moses what the Jews would be at this very 
hour. What a divine prerogative was prophecy ! We may conjecture, 
but we really know not what a day may bring forth. We may argue 
from causes to effects, but the existence and operation of the causes 



NOVEMBER 6. 537 

themselves depend upon the will of another. We may infer from proba- 
bilities, but the natural tendencies of things are liable to accidental 
derangement ; and the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to 
the strong. Besides, as to the predictions of Scripture, many of them 
regarded things so remote, that what immediately preceded them could 
not possibly be discerned. And others regarded events the most un- 
likely to take place of all occurrences in the world. And yet, when we 
look into history, we see how it accords with these announcements. 
How can we account for this, but by admitting that prophecy came not 
in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were 
moved by the Holy Ghost ? 

He docs reveal secrets. How many now living has he called out 
of darkness into his marvellous light, Not that he has communicated 
to their minds things new in themselves, but they were new to them. 
The sun had been shining, but they had been in the dark, because they 
were blind. All the doctrine was in the Bible before, but he now leads 
them into all truth, and shows them not only the reality of divine 
things, but their importance and glory. Give a man a taste for a book 
of music, or science of any kind, and he will see a thousand things 
entirely new to him, though he possessed the work before. So " the 
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are 
foolishness unto him ; neither can he know them, because they are spir- 
itually discerned : but the spiritual judgeth all things." So the secret 
of the Lord is with them that fear him ; and he shows them his cove- 
nant, and their interest in its engagements and provisions. And what 
a discovery is this. How anxious will every awakened mind be to 
possess it. Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. And what is the 
promise ? "I will give him to eat of the hidden manna, and will give 
him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man 
knoweth saving he that receiveth it." He also shows them the secrets 
of his providence, as well as of his grace. They know what he is doing, 
and what he will do. They know that he is fulfilling his own word, and 
making all things to work together for their good. They know that 
" behind a frowning providence he hides a smiling face," and that, even 
when he slays them, they have reason to trust in him. " Who is wise. 
and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? 
for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them ; 
but the transgressors shall fall therein.''* 

He will reveal secrets. Yes ; there is " a day, in the which," says 
the apostle, " God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, accord- 
ing to my gospel." Then will be developed dreadful secrets. Then 
many who had a name here, will be disowned. They had honored him 
with their lips, and gained the notice of their fellow-creatures, but their 
hearts had been far from him. And what is the hope of the hypocrite, 
though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? Pleasing 
secrets. Then they who are now deemed the enemies of the cross of 
Christ, will be found to have been its friends. Then they who are now 



538 MORNING- EXERCISES. 

considered as indifferent to holiness and good works, will appear to 
have mourned for sin, and prayed for purity. Then the tear dropped 
upon the Bible in the closet, the private act of charity, the frequent 
intercession for others, will be displayed and commended. "He will 
bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the 
counsels of the hearts ; and then shall every man have praise of God." 
Divine secrets. He will show why he permitted the entrance of moral 
evil, delayed so long the coming of his Son, suffered his gospel to be 
so impeded, and his church to be so afflicted ; and more than justify all 
his ways to men : what is now perplexing will be made plain ; what 
now seems disorderly will be arranged ; what now seems jarring will be 
harmonized ; what now seems defective will be complete. And then, 
not as now, from faith, but from sight the acknowledgment will be 
made, " He is the Rock, his work is perfect ; for all his ways are judg- 
ment : a God of truth, and without iniquity : just and right is he." To 
many these mysteries are already explained. When shall we have an 
inheritance with the saints in light ? 



NOVEMBER 7. 

"For neither did his brethren believe in him." John 7 : 5. 

How is this charge to be understood ? Two distinctions or limita- 
tions are necessary. First, it cannot be taken literally as to the name, 
"his brethren." Even those who very properly reject the notion of her 
perpetual virginity, do not suppose that these were really the children 
of Mary, our Lord's mother. The question which divides the ancients 
and the moderns turns upon this, whether they were the offspring of 
Joseph by a former marriage, or whether they were born of Salome, 
Mary's sister, and so were our Lord's cousins-germ an. The latter is the 
more probable conclusion. Among the Jews, kinsmen in various de- 
grees were called brethren. Abraham and lot were uncle and nephew, 
yet says the former to the latter, " We are brethren." The meaning 
therefore is, that our Lord's more near and remote kindred did not be- 
lieve on him. But, secondly, this cannot be taken universally, as to the 
fact. For three of his brethren, at least, were found in the number of 
his apostles ; Simon and Jude and James the less, who is expressly 
called the Lord's brother. The Scripture does not gratify our curiosity : 
we know but little of Mary's or Joseph's relations, but they seem to 
have been numerous ; and the language before us must intimate that not 
only some, but comparatively many of them had no real faith in him. 

This is a very surprising announcement. But it is very instructive. 
Does it not favor the truth of Christianity ? Had all our Lord's rela- 
tions recommended and followed him, his cause might have looked 
human and suspicious. We know what advantage Mahomet derived 
from the attachment and employment of his kindred. But here every 
appearance of family contrivance is excluded, and we see that our Lord 



NOVEMBER T. 539 

did not act by rules of carnal policy. His kingdom was not of this 
world ; his gospel was left to its own evidence and energy, and derived 
no assistance from the auxiliaries of error, superstition, or idolatry. 

We see also what evidence may be resisted, and what means may be 
rendered ineffectual by the depravity of human nature. These men had 
attended his preaching, and he spoke as never man spoke. They had 
often heard his conversation. They had received many instructions, 
reproofs, and encouragements from him, in a manner the most adapted 
to insure success. They had gone up with him to the festivals, and had 
seen his devotion. Some of them were present when he turned the 
water into wine. They had seen him open the eyes of the blind. Yes ; 
these very men, "his brethren, therefore said unto him, Depart hence, 
and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou 
doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he him- 
self seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thy- 
self to the world." As his relations, they must have known the circum- 
stances of his birth, the appearance of the angel to the shepherds, the 
journey of the wise men, the prophesying of Simeon and Anna, the tes- 
timony of John, the descent of the Holy Ghost in his baptism, his holy 
and heavenly life. Nevertheless, such were their prejudices and worldly 
dispositions, that they did not believe on him. It was not evidence they 
wanted, nor is it a want of evidence that induces persons to reject him 
now. The source of infidelity is not intellectual, but moral. Were it 
not criniinal, it would not be punishable. But this is the condemnation, 
that light is come into the world ; but men love darkness rather than 
light, because their deeds are evil. We think some means must be irre- 
sistible ; but we forget that the heart is deceitful above all things, and 
desperately wicked. " Neither will they be persuaded, though one rose 
from the dead." 

And from hence we need not wonder if inferior characters are un- 
successful in their pious attempts. Ministers may be faithful and zeal- 
ous, and yet be constrained to complain, "Who hath believed our 
report ?" Masters may be wise and good ; yet what a servant had 
Elisha in Gehazi! Parents should do every thing in their power for 
the spiritual welfare of their children, and, in a general way, they may 
hope for success ; but let them not wonder if, in some instances, even 
their tears and examples and entreaties are vain. 

Let those who have irreligious relatives think of Jesus. He was in 
this point tempted as they are. He can sympathize with them. He 
remembers the feelings of his heart when even his own kindred turned 
away from him. 

Hence none will be saved by mere relationship. Let none say, 
therefore, within themselves, We have Abraham to our father. The 
parable tells us of one in hell who called Abraham father, and was re- 
fused by him the least gratification. It is a mercy to have pious con- 
nections, but religion is a personal thing ; and if we refuse to tread in 
their steps, the blessing will be turned into a curse, and there will be 



540 MORNING EXERCISES. 

weeping and gnashing of teeth when we shall see Abraham, Isaac, and 
Jacob in the kingdom of God, and we ourselves shut out. 

Finally, it is better to be of the spiritual kindred of Jesus than of 
his family according to the flesh. When, therefore, the woman ex- 
claimed, u Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou 
hast sucked," he himself replied, "Yea, rather, blessed are they that 
hear the word of God, and keep it." The spiritual relation to him can 
never be dissolved, and it will insure every thing essential to our safety, 
honor, wealth, power, and happiness for ever. As the natural relation 
to him was not saving, so it was necessarily confined to few. But this 
lies open to all. " Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy 
brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered 
and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are 
my brethren ? And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, 
and said, Behold my mother and my brethren ! For whosoever shall 
do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, 
and sister, and mother." 



NOVEMBER 8. 

'•' And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Mas- 
ter with publicans and sinners?'' Matt. 9 :11. 

This is connected with a concise narrative of the conversion of the 
writer of this gospel ; for the account of himself is furnished by himself. 
It is a delicate thing for a man to write concerning himself; but the 
sacred authors are above all suspicion. They are always faithful and 
impartial, and their only aim is truth. Though Matthew here speaks 
of himself, the reference was unavoidable, and he only introduces the 
servant for the sake of the Master. 

The case was this. After leaving the privacy of Nazareth, our Lord 
came and dwelt in Capernaum. This town, as it was situated on the 
lake of Galilee, gave him an opportunity to pass easily in the fishing- 
boats of his followers to any parts of the adjoining country. " And as 
Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man sitting at the receipt of 
custom ;" that is, he was receiving the tolls from the goods landed and 
embarked on the quay. As Luke tells us that he made a great feast, and 
bade many, it is probable he was possessed of considerable property ; 
and from the common character of publicans, we might be tempted to 
conclude that it was the produce of illegal exaction. But it would be 
invidious to draw such an inference. Even a publican was not neces- 
sarily wicked ; and the consciousness Zaccheus had of freedom from 
extortion is obvious from his appeal : " If I have taken any thing from 
any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." It is even the 
duty of official agents to be exact and full in lawful demands. We 
will therefore take it for granted that Matthew was rightfully engaged 
when our Saviour took knowledge of him ; and as divine favor has 
been shown towards many others recorded in the Scriptures while 



NOVEMBER 8. 541 

filling up the duties of their station, we learn that diligence in our call- 
ing is acceptable to God as well as approved of men. The angel of the 
Lord appeared to the shepherds while keeping their flocks by night, 
and announced the birth of the Messiah. Saul was seeking his father's 
asses when Samuel met him, and anointed him king over Israel. While 
drawing water at the well, Rebecca and Rachel and Zipporah found 
each a husband ; the woman of Samaria found the Saviour of the world. 

Here it may be asked, Was our Lord's thus meeting with Matthew 
the effect of chance, or of design ? To this question we boldly answer, 
Of design. There is nothing accidental in the conversion of a sinner. 
If a man be saved, and called with a holy calling in time, it is accord- 
ing to God's purpose and grace given him in Christ Jesus before the 
world begun. 

"And he saith to him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him." 
He hath a mighty voice. He upholds all things by the word of his 
power. By the same word he made them all. He spoke, and it was 
done ; he commanded, and it stood fast. He said, Let there be light, 
and there was light. So it was in the old creation ; and in the new he 
calleth things which are not, and they appear. As the address was in- 
stantaneous, so the obedience was immediate. What a change did the 
call produce in the soul of this man ! How did it enlighten his mind 
and inflame his heart! Doubtless his head was filled with worldly 
cares ; but this voice, like a charm, dispossesses him. The meanness 
of our Saviour's appearance, and the lowness of his attendants, weigh 
nothing with him. He was now in prosperity ; he was to leave a gain- 
ful office ; and perhaps saw before him only reproach and persecution ; 
but he is satisfied, and would rather be a poor minister of Christ than 
a rich officer of Cassar. In a case of such magnitude, it might be sup- 
posed that he would have required some time to consider and examine 
matters. But, like Paul, he confers not with flesh and blood. The 
king's business requires haste. True obedience is always prompt and 
unreserved. He immediately followed him. blessed Jesus, may thy 
call to us be so effectual, that when thou sayest, " Seek ye my face," our 
hearts may answer, " Thy face, Lord, will we seek." And at thy bid- 
ding may we arise, and forsaking every carnal pursuit and worldly 
attachment, follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. 

Though Matthew formally surrendered his office and all its con- 
cerns, we have no reason to believe that he sacrificed his effects. 
Rather, we are persuaded that he carefully secured them, to be prop- 
erly used and applied. Whatever we possess at the time of our calling 
may be consecrated to the Redeemer, and advantageously employed in 
his service and the cause of benevolence. And when the heart is open, 
the hand and the house cannot be shut. Matthew therefore makes an 
entertainment for our Lord ; and " behold, many publicans and sinners 
came and sat down with him and his disciples." These persons had 
formerly visited Matthew, partly for business, and partly from pleasure ; 
now they came, invited by him with the hope of their deriving benefit 



542 MORNING EXERCISES. 

from our Saviour's conversation. "Who knows," says lie, "but the 
voice that has reached my heart may also call them by his grace?" 
How invariably is such a disposition found in every subject of divine 
grace. Come with us, said Moses to Hobab, and we will do thee good ; 
for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel. taste and see, 
says David, that the Lord is good ; blessed is the man that trusteth in 
him. Come and see him, said the woman of Samaria to her neighbors. 
In the same spirit Matthew makes a feast, to which he calls his old 
friends and companions. And our Saviour gave them the cheerful, 
though not the sinful meeting — teaching us thereby not to be repulsive 
in our manners, nor to refuse social intercourse. Of two things, how- 
ever, we should be careful : to design good, as our Saviour did, when 
we enter company ; and also to remember the difference there is between 
him and us. He had no corruption within for temptation to operate 
upon ; while we are easily receptive of corrupt impressions, and must 
always watch and pray, lest we enter into temptation. 

But the Pharisees — pious souls! — when they saw this, were scandal- 
ized. Yet, as Satan always loves to get over the hedge where the 
fence is lowest, and as he assailed Eve apart from her husband, so they 
from fear do not express their dissatisfaction to our Lord himself, but 
" said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and 
sinners ?" What did they mean ? It was the tradition of the elders, 
that the sanctified and devout should never be seen in company with 
the wicked. Affecting superior sanctity, they acted upon this principle 
themselves, and said, " Stand by thyself ; come not near tome; I am 
holier than thou." And they here insinuate, that if Jesus was what he 
professed to be, he would shun such characters as he was now with. 
And they seem even to feel a concern for his honor. All this was mere 
pretence, supported by malice and envy. They were strangers to every 
feeling of piety or benevolence. They strained at a gnat, and swal- 
lowed a camel. They made long prayers for a pretence, and devoured 
widows' houses. They were wolves in sheep's clothing; sepulchres 
painted without, and full of rottenness within. 

If we are Israelites indeed, in whom is no guile, we shall be severe 
towards ourselves, and candid towards others. We shall see more evil 
in our own hearts than we can ever see in the conduct of our fellow- 
creatures. And though, in proportion as we are pure and heavenly, 
we must feel whatever is contrary thereto, we shall bewail it before 
God, rather than complain of it to men. And never shall we, when 
the character is fair and the life blameless, go a motive-hunting, and 
indulge in the vileness of suspicion. Let us not judge, that we be not 
judged. Let us remember, that He who knows what is in man, repre- 
sents censoriousness as the offspring and proof of hypocrisy. " Why be- 
holdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not 
the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy 
brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye ; and behold, a beam 
is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of 






NOVEMBER 9. 543 

thine own eye ; and then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote out 
of thy brother's eye." for more of that charity that " thinketh no 
evil ; that rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth ; beareth 
all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." 



NOVEMBER 9, 



"But when Jesus heard that, lie said unto them, They that be whole need not a phy- 
sician, but they that are sick." Matt. 9 :12. 

To perceive the force of these words, we must remember the design 
of them. They are in justification of our Lord's conduct. Matthew, 
having been called by his grace to follow him, made an entertainment, 
to which he invited his former friends and companions, hoping that 
they might derive advantage from the intercourse. But when the 
Pharisees saw it, they were offended, and said to his disciples, " Why 
eateth your Master with publicans and sinners ?" Though the murmur 
was not addressed to himself, it concerned himself, and he was acquainted 
with it ; and though the complainers were undeserving of his notice — 
and he was under no obligation to vindicate what he was doing — he 
said, " I am about my proper business. I have not mistaken the objects 
of my attention. I came to seek and to save that which was lost. I 
could now have been enjoying the company of angels in heaven. My 
mixing on such an occasion with publicans and sinners is not agreeable 
in itself, but I entered the world as a physician. Where should a phy- 
sician be, but among the disordered and dying ? They that be whole 
need not a physician, but they that are sick." 

The vindication insinuates the real condition of mankind. They 
are diseased. We refer to their moral maladies. The soul has its dis- 
orders as well as the body ; and the disorders of the soul are worse 
than those of the body. They vitiate a nobler part — they expose to a 
greater danger. The consequence of the one is only temporal death ; 
the result of the other is death eternal. These maladies are the effects 
of the fall ; and they may be seen in the errors of the judgment, the 
rebellion of the will, the pollution of the conscience, the sensuality of 
the affections, the debasement and violence of the passions. We are 
sometimes blamed for degrading human nature. But we do not under- 
value it as the workmanship of God, or as to its physical and intellect- 
ual powers, but only as to its moral state and propensities. And here, 
not only the language of the Liturgy, but all Scripture and history and 
observation and experience proclaim that " there is no health in us." 

It also gives an implied character of himself. He is every thing 
that fallen, perishing creatures can need ; and he stands in the same 
relation to them as a physician to his patients. " I am the Lord that 
healeth thee," is a proclamation that well becomes his lips. Job dis- 
claimed his friends as " physicians of no value." But this can never be 
applied to the Lord Jesus. In all things in this office he has the pre- 
eminence. Yea, he not only stands without comparison, but alone ; 



544 MORNING EXERCISES. 

there is salvation in none other. But he heals every complaint. Xo 
case, however difficult, baffles his skill ; no case, however desperate, 
resists the power of his applications. He is always at home, always 
accessible, always delighted to attend. He only requires our submis- 
sion to his management. He cures without money and without price. 

It also describes those who disregard and those who value him. 
They who reject him are " the whole." None are really whole, for there 
is none righteous, no, not one. But they are so as to apprehension 
and experience. And such have always been awfully numerous. Such 
was Paul, " while alive without the law once." Such was the Pharisee 
that went up into the temple to pray. Such were all the Pharisees 
who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised oth- 
ers. Such were the Laodiceans, who said, We are rich, and increased 
with goods, and have need of nothing. Such were Solomon's genera- 
tion, who were pure in their own eyes, and not washed from their filthi- 
ness. Such also are they who, though they make no pretensions to self- 
righteousness, are satisfied with themselves ; the careless, the worldly, 
who live without one serious thought of their souls and eternity. Yea, 
such, too, are they who receive the charge in theory, and acknowledge 
it as they do any other Bible sentiment, but there rest ; not impressed 
with the truth so as to urge them to the Saviour, and so he will profit 
them nothing. 

They who value him are "the sick." They are sensible of their 
malady. They have a clear and deep conviction of their guilt and de- 
pravity and helplessness. They are thrown into the consternation per- 
sons would feel if they discovered they had taken the plague. They 
feel pain ; they forebode death. They exclaim, What must I do to be 
saved? They no longer relish their former pursuits and pleasures. 
They loathe sin, and can never be reconciled to it again. Their cure 
engages all their solicitude. And finding that there is a Saviour, and 
a great one, they are soon at his feet, crying, "Heal my soul; for I 
have sinned against thee." How infinitely desirable and delightful 
does the Physician now appear ! Who but He ? They cheerfully put 
themselves under his care ; they implicitly follow his orders. Their 
motto is, "If by any means ;" their inquiry, "Lord, what wilt thou have 
me to do ?" With what eagerness do they inquire after symptoms of 
cure ! With what pleasure do they perceive and feel signs of returning 
health ! " I bless G-od I have a little appetite for the bread of life. I 
have a little strength for spiritual exercises. Perfect that which con- 
cerneth me. Thy mercy, Lord, endureth for ever. Forsake not the 
work of thine own hands." 



NOVEMBER 10. 

"I am the resurrection, and the life." John 11 : 25. 
There is a spiritual resurrection and life, which all the subjects of 
divine grace derived from him. But here the sense is determined by 



NOVEMBER 10. 545 

the connection. "Thy brother," said he to Martha, '-'shall rise again." 
But as he did not specify the time, she feared to apply the assurance to 
her present distress, or supposed that the consolation was to be drawn 
from the general resurrection. " Martha said unto him, I know that 
he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." To excite her 
immediate hope, he reminds her of his own character and resources, 
and says, " I am the resurrection and the life." There must be a very 
peculiar relation between him and the resurrection to life, to justify the 
strength of this language. It may be exemplified in various illustrations. 

He is the resurrection and the life, as he is the announcer of the 
doctrine. For it is a truth of pure revelation. Reason could never 
have discovered it. The men of wisdom at Athens, the Stoical and 
the Epicurean philosophers, however widely they differed from each 
other, agreed in deriding this sentiment, and deemed Paul a babbler 
for preaching it. How inexplicable the reunion and reanimation of 
our scattered dust! "Where now are the bodies that trod the earth 
before the flood? But even these bodies, through whatever changes 
they have passed, shall be restored and revived. Even Adam and 
Eve in their flesh shall see God, and be clothed in higher perfection 
than Eden ever knew. But who abolished death, and brought life 
and immortality to light through the gospel? It is true that David, 
and even Job rejoiced in the expectation of this glorious event ; and 
many allusions and expressions in the Old Testament show that the 
Jewish church not only believed in a future state, but in the redemp- 
tion of the body from the grave. But the book in which they are con- 
tained is called " the word of Christ ;" and the Spirit that testifieth 
these things is called " the Spirit of Christ." For as the sun scatters 
some light before his rising, so the Saviour commenced his discoveries 
before his incarnation ; he rejoiced in the habitable parts of the earth, 
and his delights were with the sons of men. But by and by he came in 
person, and preached the kingdom of heaven. How simple and sub- 
lime were his discourses. And with what an awful motive did he com- 
mend his doctrine to every man's conscience in the sight of God. He 
drew back the veil that hid the future, and presented the elements on 
fire, the opening tombs, and the dead rising to meet their Judge. 
" Marvel not at this : for the hour is coming, in the which all that are 
in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth : they that have 
done good unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil, 
unto the resurrection of damnation." He also ordered his apostles to 
go forth and publish, and also record it ; and they did so, the Lord 
working with them, and confirming their word with signs following. 

He is the resurrection and the life, as he affords the pledge. Under 
each of the three distinguishing periods of the world, the body, as well 
as the soul, had been received up into glory. Before the flood, Enoch 
was translated, that he should not see death ; and he was not, for God 
took him. The law beheld Elijah elevated to heaven in a chariot of 
fire. In the days of the gospel, Jesus Christ passed through the regions 

Morn. Exer. OO 



546 MORNING EXERCISES. 

of the dead, and reached the crown he now wears. And there is a 
union between him and his people. He is the head, and they are the 
members ; and because he lives, they shall live also. Yea, says the 
apostle, " God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he 
loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together 
with Christ, (by grace ye are saved,) and hath raised us up together 
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." 

He is the resurrection and the life, as he procures the privilege. To 
him we meritoriously owe all the blessings we possess. Are we justi- 
fied and sanctified ? In the Lord we have righteousness and strength. 
And are we raised from the dead? " Since by man came death, by man 
came also the resurrection of the dead. As in Adam all die, even so in 
Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order : Christ 
the first-fruits ; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." He has 
redeemed our whole nature ; and the body being ransomed as well as 
the spirit, by no less a price than his own blood, shall be equally claimed 
and renewed and glorified. 

He is the resurrection and the life, as he is the pattern. For we 
shall rise, not like Adam, but like Him. " The first man is of the earth, 
earthy ; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, 
such are they also that are earthy ; and as is the heavenly, such are 
they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the 
earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." In his rising 
from the dead, we see the model of our own resurrection, and the gran- 
deur of our own destiny. We imagine, says Paul, whatever is admira- 
ble and splendid in his glorified humanity ; and we look for nothing 
less in ourselves. " We look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ ; 
who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his 
glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to 
subdue all things unto himself." At present the body is vile — not as the 
workmanship of God, but as defiled by sin, as degraded by disease, and 
especially as the spoil of worms in the corruption of the grave. What 
a hinderance, what a burden, what a loathsomeness is the body of this 
death ! But then, by a change the most marvellous, it will have the 
same excellences as the body of God. " So also is the resurrection of 
the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption ; it is 
sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory ; it is sown in weakness, it is 
raised in power ; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. 
There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." 

He is the resurrection and the life, as he achieves the work. Hence 
he said to his hearers, " This is the will of Him that sent me, that every 
one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting 
life ; and J will raise him up at the last day." What a power will this 
require ! But nothing is too hard for him. His almighty fiat will, in a 
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, pervade the depths of the sea, pene- 
trate the recesses of the earth, and gather the remnants of death, and 
give them organization and life and sight and voice for ever. 



NOVEMBER 11. 547 

Happy they who are the children of the resurrection, and who will 
be able to welcome the Restorer of all things. "Lo, this is our God, 
we have waited for him ; we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." 

For though, as an event, the resurrection will be universal, as a 
privilege it will be limited. Every eye will see him. But how many 
will wail because of him ! 



NOVEMBER 11. 

" I rejoice in thy salvation." 1 Sam. 2:1. 

These are the words of Hannah, a very pious and highly accom- 
plished female, to whom the Jews were so much indebted for one of 
their finest public characters. For Samuel was given in answer to her 
prayers ; he was trained and formed by her instructions, and he was 
early dedicated to God at the expense of her self-denial. She also 
edified her own generation, and she continues to edify ours by her com- 
position : " Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, 
my horn is exalted in the Lord ; my mouth is enlarged over mine ene- 
mies, because I rejoice in thy salvation." 

Let us notice this part of her song, and let us take the subject in the 
highest sense of which it is susceptible. There are many salvations 
which God accomplishes. But there is one which excelleth in glory, 
and to which the term is preeminently, if not exclusively applied in the 
Scripture. In this salvation every believer rejoices. 

He rejoices in the discovery of it. He is pained indeed to think 
that as yet multitudes of his fellow-creatures have never heard of it : 
and he prays that his way may be known on earth, his saving health 
among all nations. But he is grateful that to him is the word of this 
salvation sent. There was a time, indeed, when he treated it with 
indifference ; but when he began to see and feel his perishing condition, 
and to exclaim, with the jailer, What must I do to be saved? he re- 
ceived this intelligence as Hagar did the angel's kindness, when he 
opened her eyes and showed her a well ; or as the Grecians heard the 
Roman consul's proclamation of liberty, when they cried for hours, 
Soter, soter — Saviour, saviour ! 

He rejoices in the properties of this salvation. In the freeness of 
it: that it requires no qualifications, no conditions: and is without 
money, and without price. In the purity of it : that it not only con- 
tains pardoning mercy, but sanctifying grace ; and is designed to save 
him from his sins, which he now feels to be his worst enemies. In the 
perpetuity of it : that he who begins a good work will perform it until 
the day of Jesus Christ ; that he who believes hath everlasting life, and 
shall never come into condemnation. In the extensiveness of it : that 
Jesus gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time ; and that 
this salvation is prepared before the face of all people; a light to 
lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Israel. 

He rejoices in the hope of it. This hope admits of various degrees, 



548 MORNING EXERCISES. 

and the joy will be influenced by them. The lowest degree of it may serve 
to keep the mind from despair ; as a weak bough will sustain a man 
drowning, till a firmer support comes to his relief. But there is a lively 
hope ; there is an abounding in hope ; there is the full assurance of 
hope : this will fill us with joy unspeakable, and full of glory. In other 
cases, thousands rejoice in hope who will never obtain possession of the 
object of it. But the hope of Christians maketh not ashamed, because 
the love of G-od is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost which 
is given unto them. 

He rejoices in the experience of it. For he not only apprehends it 
as a desirable and future good, but he has a present actual participation 
of it. He feels the influence of it in his conscience, in his heart, in his 
life. And if a man be not saved on this side the grave, he will never 
be saved on the other. " We/' says the apostle, " who have believed, do 
enter into rest." And " blessed," says David, "is the people that know 
the joyful sound : they shall walk, Lord, in the light of thy counte- 
nance ; in thy name shall they rejoice all the day, and in thy righteous- 
ness shall they be exalted." 

He rejoices in the completion of it. For though now he is enlight- 
ened, yet is it with the illumination of the dawn, not of the day. 
Though now he is sanctified, he is renewed but in part. Though justi- 
fied and adopted, he does not always know his condition, and never 
enjoys all the privileges of it. He has the earnests, but not the inheri- 
tance. He has a few of the grapes of Eshcol, but does not yet com- 
mand the vineyards of Canaan. But when that which is perfect shall 
come, then that which is in part shall be done away. In pursuit of 
which he can say, with David, " Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, 
neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt 
show me the path of life : in thy presence is fulness of joy ; at thy right 
hand there are pleasures for evermore." " As for me, I will behold thy 
face in righteousness ; I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy like- 
ness." 

And yet the enemy of souls tells the young, that religion is an utter 
enemy to enjoyment. Yet the world supposes that Zion is the metropo- 
lis of gloom and sadness. But " as well the singers as the players on 
instruments are there" And they who have made the trial know that 
her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. And 
the God of truth has said, "Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of 
heart ; but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation 
of spirit." Christians have a thousand things to rejoice in, but this is 
the chief, the salvation of God. And there is enough in this to inspire 
joy in the midst of every loss and trial. " Although the fig-tree shall 
not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive 
shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat ; the flock shall be cut off 
from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls : yet I will rejoice 
in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." 



NOVEMBER 12. 549 



NOVEMBER 12. 



" So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him." Deut. 
32:12. 

Consistency is a quality which a writer finds it no easy thing to 
maintain when lie brings forward a character. The higher and the more 
peculiar and the more original the character be, the more is the diffi- 
culty increased. But when God is introduced, the difficulty becomes 
supreme. For " to whom will ye liken me, or shall I be equal ? saith 
the Holy One." From their knowledge of the general principles of 
their nature, which are the same in all, men may, with tolerable accu- 
racy, speak of men, and describe how an individual would act in a 
given relation or condition. But for men to speak of God, and so rep- 
resent him in all his attributes and actions as that nothing shall fall 
short of an infinitely perfect Being, is what never would have been 
accomplished without inspiration. But we find this in the Scriptures, 
because holy men of God wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 
And hence, though the sacred writers bring God forth in every page — 
we may almost say, in every sentence — he always appears in character ; 
that is, in character with himself. 

One thing, however, must be admitted, and it is by no means incon- 
sistent with this, that in the revelation with which we have been 
favored, God has conformed himself to our modes of apprehension and 
expression. This was necessary, to render him at once intelligible and 
impressive. This therefore shows us not only his wisdom, but conde- 
scension ; and dignity is never degraded by condescension. Thus he 
speaks unto us as unto children, with whom imitation is every thing, and 
levies a tax upon all the world of nature to furnish images of himself. 

There is no relation he so commonly assumes as the parental. Nor 
need we wonder at this, when we consider that there is combined in it 
every thing at once venerable and endearing ; that it appeals to the 
present sympathies of the heart, and aids our devotion by means even 
of our very instincts. And observe how he assumes it. Sometimes he 
takes the affection of the father, and we read, " Like as a father pitieth 
his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." " I will spare 
them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." Sometimes he 
appropriates the tenderness of the mother, and we read, "As one whom 
his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you." At other times he de- 
scends lower, and borrows from the animal, and especially the feathered 
tribes, and we read, " He shall cover thee with his feathers ; and under 
his wings shalt thou trust." " How often would I have gathered thee, 
as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings ; and ye would not." 
u As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth 
abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings, so the Lord 
alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him." 

Observe a divine agency : the Lord led him. The allusion is to the 
Jews ; and the meaning is, that God conducted them in their journey- 



550 MORNING EXERCISES. 

ings to Canaan. They were very numerous, but the aggregate of them 
all was to him like an infant. " I took them by the hand to lead them 
out of Egypt." " He led them by the right way, that they might go to 
a city of habitation." " He led them about, he instructed them, he kept 
them as the apple of his eye." 

See also the exclusive application of this work : " The Lord alone 
did lead him, and there was no strange god with him." The idols of 
the heathen were acknowledged to be limited in their powers. None 
of them could do every thing ; there were therefore lords many, and 
gods many. There was a god for every exigency : a god for the sea, a 
god for the winds, a god for the field, a god for the garden, a god for 
marriage, and a god for war. But, said the church, " Our God is in 
the heavens ; he hath done whatsoever he pleased." And he himself 
said, " Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord." He wrought out every 
deliverance for them. He conferred every blessing upon them ; and 
having done the work without any helper, he deserved all the praise ; 
and assigns this as a reason why they should not divide their regards 
between him and any other. " J removed his shoulder from the burden ; 
his hands were delivered from the pots. Thou calledst in trouble, and 
I delivered thee ; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder : / 
proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Hear, my people, and I will 
testify unto thee : Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me, there shall no 
strange god be in thee ; neither shalt thou worship any strange god." 

Here is also a resemblance of the manner in which it was performed. 
" So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with 
him." How ? " As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her 
young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, bearetb them on her 
wings." 

All this is not to be confined to the Jews. There is also a spiritual 
Israel, whom they were intended to prefigure ; the circumcision, who 
worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no con- 
fidence in the flesh. And such a people he now has for his name ; and 
he is leading them — leading them alone, without any one to divide with 
him the work, or' share with him the glory. And how does he this? 
Let us not torture the image, but let us improve it. Three things are 
here ascribed to the mother eagle — not in providing for her young, for 
this is not the subject in question — but in educating them ; in teaching 
them to fly. She stirreth up her nest. She fluttereth over her young. 
She spreadeth abroad her wings, and taketh them, and beareth them on 
her wings. And all this is applicable to God in his dealings with us, 
and preparing us to seek those things that are above. 



NOVEMBER 13. 

"As an eagle stirreth up her nest." Deut. 32 : 11. 
She sees the eaglets nestling, blinking, and dozing ; and she wishes 
them to fly. Arise, says she ; but they refuse. She then stirs up the 



NOVEMBER 13. 551 

nest, shakes it ; turns out the inside ; separates, scatters the parts. 
That is, she either destroys the nest, or makes it so uncomfortable that 
the young ones move out upon the neighboring boughs, where they are 
in a posture for flight. God does the same with us : he stirs up our nest. 
First, as to our outward condition in the world. This was the case 
with the Jews. Egypt had been their abode, where, in the infancy of 
their state, they were lodged like birds in a nest; and though it was an 
impure one, and much straitened and confined them, they evinced no 
care to leave it. And it is easy to see, that if they had been well 
treated, and enjoyed the smiles of the government and the former 
advantages of Goshen, Moses might have called 'long enough before 
they would have come out. But there arose another king, that knew 
not Joseph, who evil entreated them, and made their lives bitter by 
reason of cruel bondage. Their burdens were intolerable ; their tasks 
impracticable ; their complaints were turned into insults ; their daugh- 
ters were for slaves, and their sons for slaughter : and now they sigh 
for deliverance, and are willing to go forth, even into a wilderness, at 
the divine call. Thus God stirred up their nest. Manasseh was the 
son of good Hezekiah ; but every pious principle of his education had 
been corrupted by power, wealth, and pleasure. He became proverbial 
for wickedness, and would have gone on till he had filled up the measure 
of his iniquity, but God stirred up his nest. " When he was in afflic- 
tion, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before 
the God of his fathers, and prayed unto him ; and he was entreated of 
him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem 
into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God. 7 ' 
What brought the prodigal to his senses, and made him think of home? 
A mighty famine in the land — he began to be in want. How many now 
living can say, " It is good for me that I have been afflicted : before I 
was afflicted I went astray, but now have I kept thy word." You had 
health ; but sickness invaded your frame, and you have been made to 
possess months of vanity, and have had wearisome nights appointed for 
you. You prospered in business ; but your purposes were broken off, 
your schemes failed ; you were put back in life, and compelled to begin 
the world afresh. You had a wife of your bosom ; but the Lord took 
away the desire of your eyes with a stroke. You had a favorite child, 
on whom you placed many a flattering expectation ; but at an early 
grave you sighed, " Thou destroyest the hope of man ;'• and now, at 
your meals, you see David's seat is empty, and you often retire, and 
sigh, " Childhood and youth are vanity." And what is all this but 
his stirring up your nest, and by a sad, but salutary necessity, constrain- 
ing you to turn from time to eternity, from the creature to himself, the 
supreme good? And what a mercy if you can now say, 

" Now to the shining realms above 

I stretch my hands and glance mine eyes ; 
Oh for the pinions of a dove, 
To bear me to the upper skies. 



552 MORNING EXERCISES. 

There, from the bosom of my God, 

Oceans of endless pleasure roll ; 
There would I fix my last abode, 

And drown the sorrows of the soul." 

Secondly, as to our self-righteous confidence and security. We Lave 
naturally a good opinion of ourselves, and the enemy of souls loves to 
cherish it. He therefore keeps his palace and his goods in peace. He 
dreads a stir in the conscience. He knows that we must be humbled 
before we are exalted, wounded before we can be healed, and be emp- 
tied of self before we can be filled with all the fulness of God. This 
state of mind must therefore be disturbed and destroyed before any 
thing like genuine religion can commence. And what does God? By 
the conviction of sin, like a general at the head of an army, he enters 
the soul ; and the man no more says, Peace, peace : his hopes are fled ; 
he is reduced to self-despair, and his only cry is, " What must I do to be 
saved ?" His worldly friends are alarmed for him, but they who know 
what is the way of the Spirit rejoice, not that he is made sorry, but that 
he now sorrows after a godly sort. And the subject of the change him- 
self may mistake the nature and design of the operation, and conclude 
that he is going to be destroyed. But if the Lord had a mind to kill 
him, he would not have showed him such things as these. Thus it was 
with Paul. See how his nest was feathered with self-righteousness, and 
see how it was stirred up : "I was alive without the law once ; but when 
the commandment came, sin revived, and I died." " For I through the 
law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God." 

Thirdly, as to our departure from life. We are not to remain here 
always, and it is no little difficulty to break up our attachment to the 
present state, and to make us willing to leave it. But see how this is 
done. After a number of years we have a feeling persuasion that this 
is not our rest ; that creatures are broken reeds ; that the earth is a 
vale of tears ; that the world is vanity and vexation of spirit : and 
having looked through every scene here, we wish for another and a 
nobler region of existence. Then, too, our powers begin to fail us. 
Pains and infirmities grow upon us. Our decaying senses shut us out 
by degrees from former objects and pursuits. The days are come 
wherein we have no pleasure. Hearing fails. They that look out of 
the window are darkened. Fear is in the way. The grasshopper is a 
burden. And when we look around, where now are the relations and 
friends that once rendered life delightful? Lover and friend God has 
put far from us, and our acquaintance into darkness. We seem more and 
better related to another world than this. We feel the drawings of 
those who are gone. " What have I here, and what do I here ?" And 
now the hope of usefulness ceases to detain us. How can I glorify 
God, or serve my generation ? Why should I remain a cumberer of the 
ground, when so many fine and fruitful trees are cut down ? And now 
we become better acquainted with the heavenly world we have more 
nearly approached. what darkness here, and what sunshine there ; 






NOVEMBER 14. 553 

what bondage here, and what liberty there ! There no law in the mem- 
bers warring against the law of the mind. There no complaint, when I 
would do good evil is present with me. Is not this worth dying for? 
Then the earnests and foretastes of the glory to which we are going 
render every thing else comparatively insipid, and the grapes of Eshcol 
make us long for the vineyards of Canaan. And thus the Lord stirs up 
the nest of life itself, and gets the heir of immortality upon the perch 
for his departure, where he is able to say, 

" There is a house not made with hands, 
Eternal and on high ; 
And here my spirit, waiting-, stands 
Till God shall bid it fly." 



NOVEMBER 14. 

" — Fluttereth over her young." Deut. 32 :11. 

This she does to excite and teach them by her own example. And 
God does the same with regard to us. The eye does much more than 
the ear. The advantage derivable from example is universally allowed. 
It not only aids in the illustration of a subject, but also in the impres- 
sion and influence of it, as it helps the memory, strikes the fancy, 
reproves indolence, encourages hope, and fires zeal. Wise teachers will 
therefore always teach as much as possible by example. 

How sad is the state of those who are destitute of this advantage 
in religion ! And there are those to be found who have scarcely an 
instance of godliness within their reach. We pity the son who has 
indeed a father who instructs him, and by his own example too : but it 
is to swear ; to profane the Sabbath ; to despise the house of God. We 
pity the daughter who has indeed a mother who leads her, and by her 
own example too : but it is to idolize her person ; to read novels and 
romances — not the words of eternal life ; to repair to places of dissi- 
pation — not to the throne of the heavenly grace. Is there an individual 
perusing this page, who is stationed in a neighborhood or a family 
where he can find no one with whom he can unite in any religious 
exercise ; who moves on alone, and even, perhaps, through reproach 
and opposition ? Let him remember that this may not be the case 
always. If he walks in wisdom towards them that are without, his 
endeavors, in time, may be available, and his prayers be heard ; and 
though he has been denied the advantage of having an example, he 
may have the honor of becoming one, and of leading others into the way 
everlasting. 

But there are few places now in which there are not some instances 
of divine grace, sufficient to condemn the world, and to encourage those 
whose faces are Zion-ward. Some, perhaps, have many godly persons 
around them, and they see how superior these are to other men : how 
content ; how grateful ; how supported in trouble ; how hopeful in 
death. Some have pious friends and relations. You have perhaps a 



554 MORNING EXERCISES. 

sister, who often entreats you. Or a wife, who endeavors to win you. 
Or a father, who says, My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall 
rejoice, even mine. Or a mother who weeps over you, and exclaims, 
What, my son ; and the son of my womb ; and the son of my vows? 
And what is all this but God teaching and exciting you? And if 
you can read, you have an additional advantage. How many excel- 
lent lives have been published. How many fine characters are por- 
trayed in the Scriptures. And by the perusal of all these, you bring a 
cloud of witnesses and examples before you. And when you see them 
in the exercise and display of whatsoever is lovely and of good report, 
do you not see God in all this, like the eagle, fluttering over her 
young ? 

But look at him in his more personal conduct. See how he not only 
teaches and excites by his word, but by his own example. Does he 
command us to be merciful ? He is merciful, rich in mercy, he delight- 
eth in mercy. Does he enjoin us to give ? He daily loadeth us with 
his benefits. He gives us richly all things to enjoy. He spared not 
his own Son. Does he require us to forgive ? He is ready to pardon ; 
he abundantly pardons. " Love your enemies/ 7 says he ; " bless them 
that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which 
despitefully use you and persecute you ; that ye may be the children of 
your Father which is in heaven ; for he maketh his sun to rise on the 
evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." 
" Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is 
perfect." This is not an optional thing with us : we must resemble 
him ; and are only religious in proportion as we are like him, and are 
one spirit with him. 

To render his example the more engaging, we were going to say he 
humanized it. God was manifest in the flesh. And this rendered his 
example not only the more attractive, but even the more complete. For 
it is obvious that he could not have been our example, and have gone 
before us in the exercise of any of those graces, or the performance of 
any of those duties which imply dependence, submission, and suffering, 
unless he had become incarnate. The Word therefore was made flesh, 
and dwelt among us. Divine goodness walked up and down the earth 
for three and thirty years in human form. Here was visible the image 
of the invisible God. The Sovereign comes down and goes before his 
subjects to excite and allure them. See, says he, I obey, to teach you 
to obey ; I suffer, to teach you how to suffer ; I die. to make you fear- 
less of death. " Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children ; 
and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself 
for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor." 

Let ministers learn from hence to be parental rather than magiste- 
rial, and to do more by influence than authority. " Neither as being 
lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock." This is 
what Paul enjoined on his son Timothy : " Be thou an example to the 
believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in 



NOVEMBER 15. 555 

purity." And what was his own practice ? " As ye know how we ex- 
horted and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father doth 
his children." " We were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth 
her children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing 
to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our 
own souls, because ye were dear unto us." 

And let parents remember this image. Do as well as teach. Be 
amiable. Render your religion inviting. Let your children see it. 
Come near them — attach them — draw them : 

"And as the bird each fond endearment tries, 
To tempt her new-fledged offspring to the skies, 
Employ each art ; reprove each dull delay ; 
Allure, to brighter worlds, and lead the way." 



NOVEMBER 15. 

" — Spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings." Deut. 
32:11. 

This is to aid, and also to secure them. "When they mount her back, 
they are little aware of her design ; but she sails away with them, and 
sometimes shakes them off. Then they must fly themselves, but she fol- 
lows after. She hovers near them, and when their pinions flag, and 
they are unable to keep longer on the wing, with surprising speed and 
skill she darts and places herself underneath them, and thus receiving 
their whole weight, she prevents their fall, succors their weakness, and 
refreshes them for another flight. The Lord never entirely leaves his 
people ; and it is well he does not, for without him they can do noth- 
ing. He does, however, in a degree withdraw from them, to make them 
more sensible of their weakness, and induce them to rely more upon 
himself, but not so as to hazard their safety. Thus the mother, when 
her infant, beginning to walk, is too venturesome, leaves him alone — 
not to go over a plank across a river, but in the room with her, and 
upon the carpet, where the fall will alarm and caution, not kill or frac- 
ture him. And she soon takes him up, and presses him to her bosom 
and her lips again. God has himself — how much we need to teach and 
affect us ! — employed another tender image. When young and feeble, 
the day perhaps warm, and the ground rough, the little lambs are un- 
able to keep pace with the flock, and would be left panting and bleat- 
ing behind, but the Shepherd of Israel gathers them with his arm, and 
carries them in his bosom. 

Many are not convinced of their weakness, because they have never 
made in earnest a trial of their strength. But when a man begins to 
apply himself to the purposes of the divine life, he feels how unable he 
is to do any thing as of himself; and he would never be induced to 
take one step effectually in a religious course without such an assurance 
as the gospel presents. Possibility, probability, is not enough ; he must 
hear the voice that cries, "My grace is sufficient for thee; for my 



556 MORNING EXERCISES. 

strength is made perfect in weakness." And he does hear this. And 
though much is required and expected of him, he sees all the means 
necessary to the end. He sees a cause more than adequate to the 
effect. It is a great thing to be a Christian ; but " our sufficiency 
is of God." 

He has said, "I will strengthen them in the Lord," and, "As thy 
day, so shall thy strength be." He aids them by his providence, and 
by communion with each other, and in the ordinances of religion. Min- 
isters are " helpers of their joy." His word quickens them ; his statutes 
help them. In the holy assemblies, and at the table of their dying Lord, 
while they wait upon him, he renews their strength ; and they mount up 
with wings, as eagles ; and they run, and are not weary ; and they walk, 
and are not faint. But all these are only the means, the Holy Spirit is 
the agent. Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the 
Lord. Our dependence upon him is entire. We pray in the Spirit ; 
we live in the Spirit ; we walk in the Spirit. He leads us into all 
truth ; he seals us unto the day of redemption. But for his influence, 
who would not every moment despond and sink ? 

But the eagle, by taking and bearing her young on her wings, not 
only sustains and supports them, but protects and secures them. Is an 
enemy in sight? She soars with them above his reach. Does the 
archer discharge his arrows from below? They must pierce through 
her body before they can touch them. " The path of life is above to 
the wise, to depart from hell beneath." And God is the refuge as well 
as the strength of his people. And to each of them he says, what 
David said to Abiathar, when he fled to him from the slaughter of Saul, 
" Abide with me ; fear not ; for he that seeketh thy life, seeketh my 
life ; but with me thou shalt be in safeguard." When they can realize 
this, their soul dwells at ease. This is sometimes their privilege ; it 
ought to be always their experience. Their security is always the 
same, but Paul was persuaded of it. " I am persuaded" said he, " that 
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor 
things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other 
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in 
Christ Jesus our Lord." 



NOVEMBER 16. 

" Thy hidden ones." Psa. 83 : 3. 

This representation of God's people is worthy our notice. It may 
be taken two ways. 

First, as referring to their safety. We often hide only to preserve. 
This is the meaning of the word in the parable, with regard to the dis- 
covery of the treasure in the field, "which, when a man hath found, he 
hideth it." His aim is not to conceal, but to secure ; and the cause is 
put for the effect. Thus God's people are hidden. He hid Noah in the 
ark, and the waters that drowned the world could not find him. When 



I 



NOVEMBER 16. 557 

his judgments were coming over the land, " Come, my people," said he, 
" enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee : hide 
thee also for a little season, until the indignation be overpast." Hence 
the promise, " Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from 
the pride of man : thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the 
strife of tongues." Hence the confidence expressed by David : " In the 
time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion ; in the secret of his 
tabernacle shall he hide me ; he shall set me upon a rock." The Sav- 
iour could say, "In the shadow of his hand hath he hid me," and, "All 
the saints are in his hand." They are kept by the power of God, 
through faith, unto salvation. For He himself is their "refuge," their 
"hiding-place." They are his " hidden ones." 

Secondly, as intimating their concealment. This is not absolute, 
but it holds in various respects and degrees. It is true with regard to 
the nature of their spiritual life. Our life, says the apostle, is hid with 
Christ in God ; and that he refers to its invisibleness, rather than to 
its safety, is obvious from the words following : " When He who is our 
life shall appear, we also shall appear with him in glory." The source, 
principles, and actings of this life are unintelligible to natural men, 
neither can they know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 
The heart of the believer only knows his own bitterness, and a stranger 
intermeddleth not with his joy. The manna upon which he feeds is 
hidden manna. And no one knoweth the new name in the white stone 
given him, but the receiver. His grief is too deep to be noisy. He 
sitteth alone and keeps silence. The stricken deer leaves the herd. 
Other warriors appeal to their senses, and get fame ; but his conflicts 
are carried on within, visible to God only, and his laurels are all fu- 
ture. Others may give alms to be seen of men, but his left hand is not 
to know what his right hand doeth. 

They are sometimes hidden by persecution. For though this does 
not prevent their being Christians, it hinders them from appearing as 
such, especially by secluding them from their social and public assem- 
blies. This is not our case. Our teachers are not put into a corner. 
We can go to the house of God in company. We can feed in the ways, 
and our pasture is in all high places. But call to remembrance the 
former times, when they wandered in deserts, and in mountains and 
dens and caves of the earth, or were confined in prisons, or prayed and 
preached under the cover of night. But they were dear to God ; they 
were his hidden ones. 

They are sometimes hidden by the obscurity of their stations. Not 
many of the wise and mighty and noble are called, but when they are 
called, they are also exhibited. They are like cities set on hills, which 
cannot be hid. A little religion in high life goes a great way, and is 
much talked of, because it is so often a strange thing. But God hath 
chosen the poor of this world ; and they are often rich in faith. Yet 
how is their moral wealth to be known? How few opportunities have 
they for religious display or exertion ! There may be the principle of 



558 MORNING EXERCISES. 

benevolence, where there is no ability to give. And the Lord seeth 
the heart, but men can only judge from actions. Many who are great 
in the sight of the Lord are living in cottages and hovels, and are 
scarcely known, unless to a few neighbors equally obscure. 

They are sometimes hidden by their disposition. They are reserved, 
and shrink back from notice. They are timid and self-diffident. This 
restrains them in religious conversation, especially as it regards their 
own experience. This keeps them from making a profession of religion, 
and joining a Christian church. Joseph of Arimathea was a disciple of 
Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews. And Nicodemus, from the 
same cause, came to Jesus by night. They had difficulties in their sit- 
uations, from which others were free. They ought to have overcome 
them ; and so they did at last, but it was a day of small things with 
them at first. Others are circumstanced and tried in a similar way ; 
and we must be patient towards all men. 

They are sometimes hidden by their infirmities. "We would not 
plead for sin, but grace may be found along with many imperfections. 
The possessors have what is essential to religion in them, but not every 
thing that is ornamental and lovely and of good report. 

The same also will apply to errors. Here, again, we are far from 
undervaluing divine truth. It is a good thing that the heart be estab- 
lished with grace. But it is impossible for us to say how much igno- 
rance, and how many mistakes may be found even in the Israelite in- 
deed, in whom there is no guile. How little did Peter know of the 
most important of all subjects, when our Saviour pronounced him 
blessed, and said he was a partaker of divine illumination. We extend 
this even to congregations and communities. There may be individuals 
in them wiser than their teachers, and no strangers to communion with 
the God of all grace. Who can entertain too bad an opinion of Popery ? 
Yet we find a Nicol, a Pascal, a Fenelon in that most corrupt church. 
Where may not God have his hidden ones? Let us not judge of the 
real number of his people by things that do appear. While we ought 
to pray always, " The Lord add to his people, how many soever they 
be, a hundred-fold." It is not only candor, but truth, that tells us we 
may enlarge our hopes, while we ought to pray always. " Wot ye not 
what the Scripture saith of Elias ? how he maketh intercession to God 
against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged 
down thine altars ; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But 
what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself 
seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of 
Baal." 



NOVEMBER 17. 

" His seed shall endure for ever." Psa. 89 : 36. 

David was peculiarly related to the Messiah. He wrote much con- 
cerning him ; he yielded the most varied and complete type of him ever 






NOVEMBER 17. 559 

exhibited ; he was at once his Lord and his son. Hence the name of 
the former is often applied to the latter, and what is spoken of the one 
is often to be extended to the other. It must be so applied to do any 
thing like justice to the force of the language. And in this case we are 
more than justified by numerous appropriations of men in the New Tes- 
tament, who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 

Upon this principle, the words before us insure the perpetuation of 
his people : "His seed shall endure for ever." We shall say nothing of 
their number, though if we were asked the question, " Are there few 
that shall be saved?" we could boldly answer, No. Ignorance and big- 
otry have always diminished them ; but they shall be found, when gath- 
ered together, a countless multitude. 

But why are they called his seed ? Because they derive their being, 
as new creatures, from him. " Every one that doeth righteousness is 
born of him." In such a relation we look for resemblance. This, in- 
deed, is not invariably the case with regard to children. Some of them 
have little of the father's likeness, either in features or in temper. But 
all Christians resemble Christ. They bear the image of the heavenly. 
If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. The rela- 
tion infers duty. It does away indeed with all servileness, but not with 
service. " A seed shall serve him." " And I will spare them," says he, 
" as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." " A son honoreth 
his father." Every Christian, therefore, will ask, "Lord, what wilt 
thou have me to do?" The relation confers honor. His seed are de- 
scended from One who is higher than the kings of the earth, in whom 
are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and whose holiness 
and goodness are infinite. Such honor have all his saints. 

But what a privilege does it bespeak ! There is an amazing instinct 
in brute creatures towards their offspring. It seems to transform the 
very nature of some of them. The timid sheep and the fearful bird 
become bold and daring on behalf of their young. As to man, if he 
were not to provide for his own. he would be contemned by all around 
him ; and were he a pretender to religion, he would be considered as 
denying the faith, and be deemed worse than an infidel. Will the Lord 
Jesus neglect his offspring ? Will he suffer them to want any good 
thing ? Will he not educate them ; chastise them ; resent every injury 
that is done them ; acknowledge them ; defend them ? 

Observe not only their relation to him, but their perpetuity : " They 
shall endure for ever." They die as well as others ; they often die ear- 
lier ; yet, consistently with this obvious and undeniable fact, they shall 
continue for ever in three senses. First, in the succession of their race 
to the end of the world. It will never be cut off. " The church in 
danger !" What church ? " Upon this rock," says he, " I will build my 
church ; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Yea, his 
people shall continue to increase in number and excellency. We shall 
leave the world better than we entered it, and so will our children, till 
Jerusalem shall be established, and be made a praise in the whole earth. 



560 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Secondly, in their religious character to the end of their own life. If 
left to themselves, we could not be sure of their persevering to the end 
of a day or an hour. But they are kept by the power of God, through 
faith, unto salvation. He upholdeth them with his hand. They shall 
hold on their way. In all their dangers they shall be more than con- 
querors. Thirdly, in their glorified state through eternal ages. The 
world passeth away, and the lusts thereof, but he that doeth the will of 
God abideth for ever. All other greatness is only for life ; it is fre- 
quently less durable ; at death it ends. But then the Christian's great- 
ness — I will not say begins ; for it began the moment he prayed — but 
then it continues, increases, and is perfected. Death only affects one 
part of him ; the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life 
because of righteousness. And even the body shall be revived and 
improved, and made like the Saviour's own glorious body, and be as 
immortal as the soul. Every thing here is variable, fading, perishing. 

" All, all on earth is shadow ; all beyond 
Is substance — the reverse is Folly's creed — 
How solid all, where change shall be no more!"' 

Where we shall have not only endless existence, but endless existence 
beatified ; where, if we have treasure, moth and rust will not corrupt, 
nor thieves break through and steal ; where, if we have a house, it will 
not be a house made with hands, but eternal in the heavens ; where, if 
we have a crown of glory, it fadeth not away ; where, if we have friend- 
ships, we shall part no more ; where we shall be foe ever with the 
Lord. 



NOVEMBER 18. 

" Open thy mouth wide." Psa. 81 : 10. 

Though we cannot find out God perfectly in his essence or his 
works, w r e are not left in total ignorance concerning him. We have 
all the information our duty and our consolation can require. Though 
he be a God that hideth himself, yet he is the God of Israel, the Sav- 
iour. He has been pleased to reveal himself as the hearer of prayer | 
yea, more, as exciting it, as encouraging it, as concerned for the en- 
largement of our desires in the performance of it. " Open thy mouth 
wide." 

To aid us herein, let us consider his greatness and all-sufficiency. 
We should expect more from a prince than from a pauper. Many have 
benevolence without resources, and in vain we address them ; they may 
grieve to deny us, but they cannot relieve. When the woman cried, 
" Help, king !" he said, " Whence should I help thee?" But we kneel 
before One whose greatness is unsearchable, who is Lord of all. His 
giving a world would be less than our giving a crumb of bread. When 
Alexander had bestowed a very valuable present on a poor man, his 
modesty would have declined it : " It is too much," said he, " for me to 
receive." " But," said the conqueror, " it is not too much for me to 



NOVEMBER 18. 561 

give." God gives like himself, and lie is to be addressed in character 
with himself. We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of 
heaven and earth. Is it comfort we want ? He is the God of all com- 
fort. Is it deliverance? Nothing is* too hard for the Lord. Is it 
renovation? He can make all things new. He is able to do for us 
exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power 
that worketh in us. 

Let us consider his goodness. Nothing tends to contract us more 
than a sense of our unworthiness. We ought to feel this ; but we ought 
not to be discouraged by it, since he is the God of all grace, the Father 
of mercies ; since he is rich in mercy, and delighteth in mercy. We are 
not to judge of him by a human standard. It is an injury to us, when 
we are applying to him, to think of the benevolence of the most gener- 
ous of our fellow-creatures. They all come inconceivably short of his 
glory. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my 
ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 
so arc my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your 
thoughts." And the reference here is to his thoughts and ways of 
mercy, and especially pardoning mercy. 

Let "us remember also the medium through which we implore his 
favors. We have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of 
him. We have boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus ; 
having such a High-priest over the house of God, we draw near in full 
assurance of faith. In saving and glorifying us through the Son of his 
love, we do not ask God to deny his truth, or dishonor his name, or 
trample upon his law. Yea, he magnifies his law in doing it. He de- 
clares his righteousness. While he redeems Jacob, he glorifies himself 
in Israel ; and glory to God in the highest is combined with peace on 
earth, and good-will towards men.- Let us think of this, and ask, and 
receive, that our joy may be full. " Whatsoever/' said he, " ye shall ask 
the Father in my name, he will do it." 

Review also the manner in which he has answered the prayers of 
his people. Has he ever refused them? Has he ever given sparingly? 
Jacob asked for bread to eat, and raiment to put on, and a return in 
peace to his father's house ; and lo, he becomes two bands. Solomon 
asked for a wise and understanding heart, and he obtained not only 
wisdom, but life and riches and honor. Abraham left off asking, with 
regard to Sodom, before God left off giving. Why did he stop at ten? 
Had not God complied with every preceding proposal without the least 
reluctance ? But Abraham was ashamed ; he had not courage to go on. 

But is it not sufficient that he has commanded it? Having his au- 
thority, you cannot be chargeable with presumption if you ask much. 
Yea, you will be guilty of rebellion if you refuse. How did he punish 
the guests who refused the invitation to the feast, " Come, for all things 
are now ready." 

Here is also an express assurance, a promise not only that we shall 
receive, but be filled: " Open thy mouth wide, and I will/// it." He 



Morn. Exer. 



36 



562 MORNING EXERCISES. 

will supply all our need from his riches in glory. He will bless us with 
all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. 

Where is the Christian who lives up to his duty, or to his privilege? 
For God not only answers prayer really, but proportionally : he says, 
" Be it unto thee even as thou wilt." 

Let not him therefore who prays rarely and coldly, think to succeed 
like the frequent and fervent petitioner. Honor God, and God will 
honor you. He does not despise the day of small things. But "the 
hand of the diligent maketh rich." 



NOVEMBER 19. 

" Dost thou believe on the Son of God ?" John 9 : 35. 

This question was addressed to a man that had been blind. Some 
are blind by accident, and some by disease, but this man was born blind. 
He had never seen even the face of her who bore him, and who, as she 
fed him at her breast, would often look upon him, and weep over her 
orbless boy. Blindness is always a sufficient affliction in itself, but 
here penury was added to it. Like others of the same class of sufferers 
mentioned in the gospels, he sat by the way-side, begging. Many had 
passed him without notice, but Jesus had compassion on him. Some 
had given him alms, which was all he implored ; but Jesus gave him 
eyes, and did for him beyond all that he could ask or think. 

The cure was notorious. The common people acknowledged it; 
and they brought the man to the Pharisees, supposing that they would 
be equally ready to confess it too. But see how the plainest truth can 
be perplexed or doubted when it comes before those whose interest it 
is to deny or conceal it. First, they admit the fact, but turn it against 
our Saviour because he had done it on the Sabbath-day. This did not 
satisfy the people, who justly remarked, that, had he violated the Sab- 
bath, he would have been a transgressor, and God would not have thus 
honored a sinner. Then they pretend to question the fact itself. They 
set aside the man's own testimony, and call in his parents. His parents 
affirm that he was their son, and that he had been born blind ; but fear- 
ing lest they should be put out of the synagogue, they affect to be igno- 
rant of the mode of his cure. How stubborn is truth ! How hard is it 
to suppress evidence ! The attempt is like trying to keep fire under 
ashes out in the wind. Again they call in the man himself, and after 
an artless relation which they could not resist, and an involuntary ad- 
dress which they could not endure, " they cast him out ;" that is, they 
drove him from their presence, and excommunicated him as a member 
of the Jewish synagogue. Informed of this, Jesus sought and found 
him, and said unto him, " Dost thou believe on the Son of God V 

There are many foolish and useless questions asked by every indi- 
vidual. In the company of some persons we are in a perfect inquisition ; 
we are tortured with inquiries concerning every body and every thing. 
It would be well if many professors of religion were aware that they 



NOVEMBER 19. 563 

are accountable not only for their time, but their tongues, and would 
remember the language of our Saviour, " By thy words thou shalt be 
justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Many of the 
inquiries in the theological world which have engrossed so much atten- 
tion, and injured so much temper, have turned on subjects too deep to 
be fathomed, or too trifling to merit regard. When Peter, wishing to 
know his designs concerning John, asked, "Lord, and what shall this 
man do?" he replied, "What is that to thee? Follow thou mc." A 
man in the road asked, "Lord, are there few that shall be saved?" But 
Jesus "answered and said unto them 11 — for he would not notice the 
trifler himself, but said unto them that were about him — "Strive to 
enter in at the strait gate ; for I say unto you, that many shall seek to 
enter in, and shall not be able." If it be said, this was no answer to 
the question itself, we reply, that it was an answer, and the only proper 
answer — an answer by way of rebuke — an answer informing them, and 
informing us, that " the secret things belong unto God ; but things that 
are revealed are for us and for our children," and that whatever be the 
number of the saved, we may be included in it if we earnestly and im- 
mediately seek ,it. 

But the question before us is founded in importance. We may infer 
this from the character of the inquirer ; he never trifled, never spoke 
an idle word. And we may infer it also from the nature of the case 
itself. For what can be so important as faith in Christ? It is the 
principle of all religion. It is the only medium through which we can 
enjoy the blessings of the gospel. Do we live? We "live by the faith 
of the Son of God." Do we walk ? " We walk by faith." Do we 
stand ? " By faith we stand." Do we conquer ? " This is the victory 
that overcometh the world, even our faith." There is no justification 
without it: "Being justified by faith." There is no sanctification 
without it : " Sanctified by faith that is in me." There is no consola- 
tion without it : " In whom, believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable 
and full of glory." In a word, there is no salvation without it : "Be- 
lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." The same 
things therefore in the Scripture which are ascribed to Christ, are also 
ascribed to faith. The reason is, because it is only by faith we can 
make use of Christ for all the purposes which he is appointed to ac- 
complish. It is only by faith we can receive him as the gift of God, 
enter him as a refuge, apply him as the balm of Gilead, and feed upon 
him as the bread of life. 

And unless we believe on him, we not only incur the greatest loss 
we can incur, but we contract the greatest guilt we can contract. We 
disobey the express command of God, his dearest command — the com- 
mand which involves all his glory in the highest degree : for " this is 
his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus 
Christ." We make him a liar ; we throw unspeakable contempt upon 
his wisdom and goodness. He has, at an infinite expense, provided a 
Saviour, and brought him near, and pressed us to avail ourselves of 



564 MORNING EXERCISES. 

liim. And how can we contemn God so much, as by making light of it. 
and rejecting it? "He that believeth not shall be damned." " He that 
despised Moses 7 law died without mercy under two or three witnesses : 
of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, 
who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the 
blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, 
and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" 

What, then, can be so momentous as this question, " Dost thou be- 
lieve on the Son of God?" And yet many never give it a serious 
thought. They can live on, year after year, without ever once inquir- 
ing, " Am I a believer, or an unbeliever ?" though their everlasting all 
depends upon it ; though now is the accepted time, now is the day of 
salvation ; though their breath is in their nostrils, and they know that 
their only opportunity is as uncertain as it is short. Oh, the deceitful- 
ness of sin ! Oh, the madness of sinners ! Oh, the influence of the god 
of this world, who blindeth the minds of them that believe not ! 






NOVEMBER 20. 

Did not I see thee in the garden with him?" John 18 : 26. 

While within my garden roving, 

And my senses all are fed, 
Rising from these loved attractions, 

I 'm to nobler subjects led : 
Other gardens 

Here, in musings, oft I tread. 

First I enter Eden's garden, 

Yielding pain and profit too ; 
Adam here, while sinless standing, 

Naught of fear or sorrow knew : 
But what changes 

Did from his offence ensue ! 

Then, with hope and joy reviving, 

To Gethsemane I go ; 
And approach, in that dread garden, 

Jesus, bearing all my woe : 
From his anguish 

All my ease and safety flow. 

In the garden where they laid him, 

With the Marys there I sit, 
Weeping, till I see him rising, 

And embrace his pierced feet : 
King of terrors, 

Now I can thy frownings meet. 

In the church, the Saviour's garden, 
Trees and plants and flowers I see, 

Guarded, watered, trained, and cherished, 
Blooming immortality ; 

All transplanted 
From thy soil, Calvary. 



NOVEMBER 21. 565 

But above all gardens precious, 

See the heavenly paradise: 
There the tree of life is bearing ; 

There the springs of glory rise ; 
And the richness 

Every want and wish supplies. 

There the foot no thorn e'er pierces ; 

There the heart ne'er heaves a sigh ; 
There in white we walk with Jesus, 

All our loved connections by : 
And to reach it, 

'T is a privilege to die. 



NOVEMBER 21. 

"Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of 
Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, my father, my father ! the 
chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof." 2 Kings 13 :14. 

Elijah was spared the common doom of mortality, and was taken 
to heaven in a chariot and horses of fire without dying. But Elisha, 
who had honored God so much longer, goes the way of all the earth. 
Why was this difference ? Even so, Father ; for so it seemed good in 
thy sight. 

But he does not die of natural infirmity ; neither does he die sud- 
denly — he had fallen sick. This mode of dissolution was less desirable 
with regard to comfort, but it was more favorable to usefulness. It 
afforded him opportunity for glorifying God, and instructing and im- 
pressing his attendants. And " the chamber where the good man meets 
his fate " has often been to others, as well as to the dying individual him- 
self, the house of God, and the gate of heaven. "We are therefore glad 
to find Joash the king of Israel with Elisha in this situation. Such a 
scene is generally very uninviting to persons in the upper ranks of life. 
They love not, in the midst of flattery and dissipation, to be reminded 
of the days of darkness. , Yet " it is better to go to the house of mourn- 
ing than to go to the house of feasting ; for that is the end of all men ; 
and the living will lay it to his heart. The heart of the wise is in the 
house of mourning ; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. Sor- 
row is better than laughter ; for by the sadness of the countenance the 
heart is made better." It is more serious, and more soft. 

But who was this Joash ? " He did that which was evil in the sight 
of the Lord. He departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of 
Nebat, who made Israel to sin ; but he walked therein." Who would 
have looked for such a man here? Yet see the trouble he takes. He 
does not send to inquire after the dying prophet, but personally visits 
him. See his condescension and humility in entering " a little chamber 
on the wall, with a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick." 
See his tenderness in hanging over the expiring saint, and weeping. 
See his knowledge of the value and importance of Elisha : " Ah, what 
shall I do, and what will my people do, when thou art gone ? My 



566 MOEXING EXEECISES. 

father, my father ! the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof/' 
How much like a pious man does Joash now appear. How little can 
we judge of men by particular conditions, events, and feelings. Who 
has not had powerful convictions? Who has not often exclaimed, "Let 
me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his V 
Who has not, like Felix, trembled under the preaching of righteousness, 
temperance, and judgment to come? Of whom has it not, in some pe- 
riod, been said, as it was of the young man in the gospel, Thou art not 
far from the kingdom of God ? 

What brings Joash here now? He had disregarded and despised 
Elisba before. But Elisha is now going. "How mercies brighten as 
they take their flight!' 7 How an undutiful child prizes a parent when 
he is following him to the grave. How many would listen to the voice 
of the preacher when they can hear him no more. Even the Jews, who 
so often would have stoned Moses, mourned for him many days. Who 
would have thought that all these fine impressions would have worn 
off? But Joash leaves the dying room and the honored prophet, and 
enters ordinary life, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man 
he was. The tempting scenes of greatness again seduce him, and his 
iniquities, like the wind, take him away. And who would have thought 
that, after the wreck of all his worldly substance, or the loss of a Jo- 
seph and Benjamin, or the taking away of the wife of his bosom with a 
stroke, or the awfulness of a disease that led him down to the gates of 
death, and induced him to cry, Oh, spare me a little longer ! — who 
would have imagined that after such lessons any man could turn again 
to folly, and walk more eagerly according to the course of this world ? 
"0 Ephraim," says God, "what shall I do unto thee? Judah, what 
shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as 
the early dew it goeth away." 

The devotion of natural men depends upon external excitement. 
They pour out a prayer when God's chastening hand is upon them, but 
they do not delight themselves in the Almighty — they do not always 
call upon God. The summer brook may by a storm be swelled into a 
flood ; but having no permanent source, it soon rolls off, and the bed is 
dry. A Christian's devotion may be aided by outward helps, but it 
does not depend upon them. His practice flows from principle, and he 
exemplifies the promise, " The water that I will give him shall be in 
him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life." And "'he only 
that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved." 



NOVEMBER 22. 

" And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five 
or six times ; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it : whereas now 
thou shalt smite Syria but thrice." 2 Kings 13 : 19. 

Elisha was now on his dying-bed, and being visited by Joash the 
king of Israel, who was deeply affected with the interview, he gave him 



NOVEMBER 22. 567 

two orders, the one to shoot and the other to smite. Both these were 
doubtless delivered under a prophetical impulse, and though they may 
seem strange to us, they were well understood by the parties. 

" And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And lie took 
unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Put 
thy hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it ; and Elisha 
put his hands upon the king's hands. And he said, Open the window 
eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. 
And he said, The arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and the arrow of 
deliverance from Syria : for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Apliek, till 
thou have consumed them." The Romans were accustomed to declare 
war against an enemy by shooting an arrow into their territory. Alex- 
ander also did this when he entered Persia. This order, therefore, was 
an intimation of war. Accordingly it was discharged " eastward ;" 
that is, towards Syria. But the man of God arose while he held the 
bow, and put his left hand upon the king's left hand, and his right hand 
upon the king's right hand. For what purpose? Elisha was the rep- 
resentative of God, in whose name he now spoke ; and he thus teaches 
the king that, though he should use means, he should not depend upon 
them ; that the excellency of the power was not of the weapons, but of 
God ; and that if his bow abode in strength, the arms of his hands were 
made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. It is therefore 
called the arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and by which the Syrians 
were to be vanquished in Aphek. 

And is it not so with us ? When we work, God must work with us. 
If his hand be not with us for good, what is our prudence, our resolu- 
tion, our energy? "Not by might, nor by power; but by my Spirit, 
saith the Lord." Thus the apostles went forth preaching, and the 
" hand of the Lord was with them ; and many believed and turned unto 
the Lord." 

Again he said, " Take the arrows. And he took them. And he 
said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote 
thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, 
Thou shouldest have smitten five or -six times ; then hadst thou smitten 
Syria till thou hadst consumed it : whereas now thou shalt smite Syria 
but thrice." Joash was conscious that the action was a sign, or ho 
could not have been blamable. The action, therefore, betrayed remiss- 
ness and lukewarmness ; it was expressive of his disposition, and it 
indicated the event. He therefore showed that he was not willing to 
push the war to a complete issue ; he was only for injuring and enfee- 
bling the enemy he might and ought to have destroyed. And so the 
prophet viewed it. He saw that he was half-hearted, and would not 
improve his advantages. Lie should have resembled David, who could 
say, " I have pursued mine enemies, and have overtaken them : neither 
did I turn again till they were consumed. I have wounded them that 
they were not able to rise : they are fallen under my feet. Then did I 
beat them small as the dust before the wind ; I did cast them out as 



568 MORNING EXERCISES. 

the dirt in the streets." But Joash was more disposed to imitate Ahab, 
who, when Benhadad was delivered into his hand, suffered him to es- 
cape, and to recover his power and means of annoying again ; in conse- 
quence of which God said, " Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a 
man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go 
for his life, and thy people for his people." 

Elisha, therefore, was offended with Joash. And was it not enough 
in such a case to grieve a man of God, burning with holy zeal for his 
cause ? And is it not grievous to God's ministers now, when we are 
not strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus? We have his promises 
and invitations, and we have the experience of his people, living and 
dying, all showing us how willing he is to help, and make us more than 
conquerors. But, alas, we are satisfied with little — not in temporal 
things, where contentment is a virtue, but in spiritual things, where 
moderation is a crime. 

Say not, Why, why did not Joash continue smiting till the prophet 
said, " It is enough ?" Are not you chargeable with the very same 
offence ? Are not you satisfied with slightly wounding your spiritual 
enemies, instead of breathing after an entire victory over them? Are 
not you disposed to live on a little corner of your estate, when there 
remains yet very much land to be possessed ? 

Look at your desires. Are they not formal and few ? Do you hunger 
and thirst after righteousness? Do your souls break for the longings 
they have unto God's judgments at all times ? Do you open your mouth 
wide, that God may fill it? Do you pray that, according to the riches 
of his glory, he would strengthen you with might by his Spirit in the 
inner man ; that you may know the love of Christ, which passeth know- 
ledge ; that you may be filled with all the fulness of God? 

Look at your expectations. Are they not few and faint ? Is your 
hope a lively hope ? Is it vigorous enough to counteract the impres- 
sions of the world? Do you abound in hope? Does it bear any pro- 
portion to the exceeding great and precious promises ? 

Look at your exertions. Are they not few and languid ? An occa- 
sional retirement, a hasty performance of private devotion, a formal 
service at the family altar, a forgetful hearing of the word, without 
early rising, without self-denial, without taking up your cross, without 
laboring for the meat that endureth unto everlasting life, without striving 
to enter in at the strait gate, without fighting the good fight of faith, 
and taking the kingdom of heaven by force — this vile moderation ; 
this guilty relaxation; this smiting thrice only, instead of going for- 
ward, and deeming nothing done while any thing remains to be done ! 

Wherefore, " giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue ; and to 
virtue, knowledge ; and to knowledge, temperance ; and to temperance, 
patience ; and to patience, godliness ; and to godliness, brotherly kind- 
ness ; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, 
and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruit- 
ful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh 



NOVEMBER 23. 569 

these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that 
he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give 
diligence to make your calling and election sure ; for if ye do these 
things, ye shall never fall : for so an entrance shall be ministered unto 
you abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ." 



NOVEMBER 23. 

• 

"And Elisha died, and they buried Lira. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the 
land at the coming in of the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying 1 a man, 
that, behold, they spied a band of men ; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Eli- 
sha : and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and 
stood up on his feet." 2 Kings 13 : 20, 21. 

Here we see the Moabites did not come in a large army, but in par- 
ticular bands, to pillage and alarm. It shows us in how undefended a 
state at this period the country must have been. But what has this to 
do with the death and burial of Elisha? The one is mentioned in con- 
nection with the other, and has a reference to the exclamation the king 
made in his dying-chamber, " my father, my father ! the chariot of 
Israel, and the horsemen thereof!" And see, would the historian say, 
see how soon this began to be exemplified. Does this cause seem inad- 
equate to the effect ? Who has not observed the importance of individ- 
uality? When Goliath came forward challenging, all the army of 
Israel fled. What a terror was Samson to the Philistines ! They could 
do nothing till they had got rid of him. There are persons who are 
the life, the soul of a party or a conynunity. What enterprises for the 
glory of God, and the spread of the gospel, have originated from one 
Christian! The death of a minister has been the signal for the division 
and dispersion of a congregation raised by his talents and zeal. " I 
know," says Paul, "that after my departing shall grievous wolves 
enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves 
shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after 
them." 

What is there peculiar here? The intimation of the historian is 
constantly and variously held forth in the Scripture at large. There 
we see the regard God pays to his people. "Thus saith the Lord, As 
the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not ; for 
a blessing is in it : so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not 
destroy them all." 

" Oft have our fathers told, 
Our eyes -have often seen, 
How well our God secures the fold 
Where his own sheep have been." 

The ungrateful world despises them. Yet how much do even they owe 
to the presence and the prayers of the saints. By them blessings have 
been obtained or continued. They have withholden or removed judg- 
ments. They have been the "healers of the breach, the restorers of 



570 MORNING EXERCISES. 

paths to dwell in." Shall not we love them? Shall not we pray for 
their increase ? 

But here was a thing very accidental as to the persons employed. 
They were a funeral party, and were going to carry the corpse farther ; 
but seeing a number of their invaders, and wishing to make a timely 
escape, they hastily laid it in the grave of Elisha, which happened to 
be at hand. But how wonderful was the result ! " When the man was 
let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on 
his feet." Here the Papists come— and to what other place* can they 
come so well? — to find something to favor the doctrine of relics. 
Which of their churches is not furnished with the supposed remains of 
saints ? Some of these saints, too, were little better than demons. But 
allowing them to have been real saints, what profit is there in their 
bones when they go down to the grave ? The virtue here was not in 
the bones of Elisha, but in the power of God. And what a stupendous 
miracle was it ! " Surely, had not the people been blind and impeni- 
tent, they must have been brought to repentance." So we think ; but 
who said, " If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither would they 
be persuaded though one. rose from the dead?" Whether there were 
as yet any Sad'ducees in Israel we know not. If there were, they here 
saw a proof and an instance that the dead can be reanimated ; and it 
matters not, as to the miracle of the fact, whether it took place two 
days after death, or two thousand years. God alone could have done 
it. And why should it be thought a thing incredible that Gcd should 
raise the dead? His power is almighty, and we see what changes and 
revivals it is continually producing in nature. But with us the subject 
admits of no doubt. We believe — the Lord prepare us for it — that 
"there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." 

The fathers — where are they? and the prophets — do they live for 
ever ? No ; the dearest, the greatest, the most useful of his servants 
die. But " precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his sairfts." 
We are losers ; but fo them, to die is gain. They are privileged in it ; 
they are privileged by it. And it is desirable to be near them living, 
dying, and dead ; in time, and in eternity. " Gather not my soul with 
sinners." I would " take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew ; say- 
ing, I will go with you, for I have heard that God is with you." " En- 
treat me not to leave thee, or to -return from following after thee : for 
whither thou goest, I will go ; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge : 
thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God : where thou diest 
will I die, and there will I be buried : the Lord do so to me-, and more 
also, if aught but death part thee and me." 

God can honor his servants after they are in their graves. The 
memory of the just is blessed, and useful too. Yes ; you may be the 
means of awakening and enlivening persons after your death — not by 
quickening their mortal bodies, but their souls, which were dead in tres- 
passes and sins — not by your bones, but by your example, which will 
still operate ; by your instructions, which shall still speak • by the pray- 



NOVEMBER 24. 571 

ers you offered ; by the books you gave ; by the minister you educated ; 
by the place of worship you built while you were yet living. 

Every thing should lead us to the Saviour. How much any of the 
Jews at this time knew of the Messiah we cannot ascertain. But ice 
know, that because he died we shall live. We know that if we were 
planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the 
likeness of his resurrection. He made the grave his own by residence 
and consecration. Behold the place where the Lord lay! Into this 
grave we must descend. But we shall arise from it not only living, but 
immortal — not like this man, to die again, but to die no more, deatli 
having no more dominion over us. "Thy dead men shall live, together 
with my dead body shall they rise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in 
dust ; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out 
the dead, 77 



NOVEMBER 24. 

" The righteous shall flourish." Psa. 92 : 12. 

Prosperity in the divine life is the Christian^ duty, and therefore 
he is commanded to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord 
and Saviour. It is his desire ; and hence he prays, Strengthen, God, 
that which thou hast wrought for us. It is his privilegej and thus it is 
provided for and secured by divine promise : "The righteous shall hold 
on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and 
stronger. 77 David here tells us that "the righteous shall flourish. 77 
And he tells us, 

How he shall flourisli. " He shall flourish like the palm-tree : he 
shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 77 Of the wicked he had said just 
before, " When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the work- 
ers of iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed for ever. 77 
They flourish as the grass, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into 
the oven. What a contrast with the worthlessness, the weakness, tran- 
sitoriness, and destiny of grass — in a warm country too — are the palm- 
tree and cedar in Lebanon. They are evergreens. How beautifully, 
how firmly, how largely they grow. How strong and lofty is the cedar. 
How upright and majestic and tall the palm-tree. The palm also bears 
fruit, called dates, like bunches of grapes. It sometimes yields a hun- 
dred weight at once. 

He tells us where he shall flourish. " Those that be planted in the 
house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. 77 The allu- 
sion is striking. It compares the house of God to a garden, or fine, 
well-watered soil, favorable to the life and verdure and fertility of the 
trees fixed there. The reason is, that in the sanctuary we have the 
communion of saints. There our fellowship is with the Father, and with 
his Son Jesus Christ. There are dispensed the ordinances of religion 
and the word of truth. There God commandeth the blessing, even life 
for evermore. " Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at 



572 MORNING EXERCISES. 

my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors." They that wait upon the 
Lord renew their strength. Hence, from their own experience as well 
as from the word of promise, they are increasingly induced to say, with 
David, " I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." 

He also tells us when he shall flourish. " They shall still bring forth 
fruit in old age." This is to show the permanency of their principles, 
and to distinguish them from natural productions. 

" The plants of grace shall ever live ; 
Nature decays, but grace must thrive : 
Time, that doth all things else impair, 
Still makes them flourish strong and fair." 

The believer does not escape all the effects of years. The eye may 
grow dim, the ear become dull of hearing ; but as the outward man 
perisheth, the inward man is renewed day by day. The young Chris- 
tian is lovely, like a tree in the blossoms of spring ; the aged Christian 
is valuable, like a tree in autumn, bending with ripe fruit. We there- 
fore look for something superior in old disciples : more deadness to the 
world, the vanity of which they have had more opportunities to see ; 
more meekness of wisdom ; more disposition to make sacrifices for the 
sake of peace ; more maturity of judgment in divine things ; more con- 
fidence in God ; more richness of experience. 

He also tells us why he shall flourish. " They shall be fat and flour- 
ishing, to show that the Lord is upright." "We might rather have sup- 
posed that it was necessary to show that they were upright. But by 
the grace of God they are what they are — not they, but the grace of 
God which is in them. From him is their fruit found. Their preser- 
vation and fertility, therefore, are to the praise and glory of God ; and 
as what he does for them he had engaged to do, it displays his truth as 
well as his mercy, and proves that he is upright. This cleaving also to 
him with purpose of heart, and not turning away from him, whatever 
temptations the world presents, shows that they had found him to be 
what he had given himself out to be, and what they had taken him to 
be. Had he deceived or disappointed them, they would have forsaken 
him. But he has always dealt well with them ; he has surpassed their 
hopes. They therefore love their Master and his work, and are willing 
to follow him to prison or to death, to show that he is upright. 

David therefore attests this from his own experience : " Let every 
one speak as he finds. I cannot but magnify his name. I cannot but 
recommend- him to those who want a dependence that will not give 
way. I have tried him, and tried him much and long. I never served 
him for naught. I never called upon him in vain. I never trusted in 
him, and was confounded. He is my rock ; and there is no unright- 
eousness IN HIM." 



NOVEMBER 25 573 

NOVEMBER 25. 

" Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" John 9 : 35. 

The question concerns us as well as the man who had been restored 
to sight. And it admits of solution. Indeed, the inquiry would be 
absurd if an answer were impossible. Some very mistaken notions are 
entertained of divine influence. One thing is undeniable. The grace 
of God, in renewing us, engages and employs us; so that we are not, 
like wood and stone under the operation of the saw and chisel, merely 
passive, insensible, unconscious. God does not work upon us, but in us, 
and in us to will and to do of- his good pleasure. He is the author of 
repentance, by enabling us to exercise repentance. And cannot a man 
know whether he repents of any course or action in which he has been 
engaged? He is the giver of faith, as he teaches and aids us to believe. 
The faith, therefore, "does not act in us like a charm. It is not a mys- 
terious, unintelligible thing, of which we can give no account. We are 
always to be ready to give a reason of the hope that is in us. 

How then is an answer to be returned ? Let us away with acci- 
dental occurrences and dreams and sudden impulses, and repair to the 
Scriptures at once, and by their decisions examine ourselves whether 
we be in the faith, and prove our own selves. Three evidences may be 
adduced of our believing on the Son of God. 

First, much anxiousness and uneasiness concerning it, in distinction 
from the temper of those who can readily and easily take it for granted. 
This is not the disposition of awakened souls. They find how hard it 
is to abound and rejoice in hope. This results from the importance and 
dearness of the object. ' It is not true that it is easy to believe what 
we wish. Yea, in proportion as we love and value a thing, we become 
the more apprehensive, and require every kind of proof and assurance 
concerning its safety. And here the case is interesting beyond all com- 
parison. It is to ascertain my claims to everlasting life. What if I 
should be mistaken ? And my heart is deceitful above all things, as 
well as desperately wicked. And I learn from the word of truth that 
many are imposed upon to their remediless ruin. And what if I am 
informed, but not enlightened ; convinced, but not converted ; almost, 
but not altogether a Christian ? No wonder, in such a case, solicitudes 
often revive, and the prayer be daily made, " Say unto my soul, I am 
thy salvation." Let me not be ashamed of my hope. These doubts 
and fears ape a token for good, and may be compared to smoke, which 
indeed is not fire, but proves its existence, and is never found where it 
is not. 

Secondly, the estimation in which we hold the Saviour. Hence 
says the apostle, " To you therefore that believe, he is precious." He 
does not say how precious ; this would have been impossible. But faith 
makes him more precious to the soul than sight is to the eye, or melody 
to the ear, or food to the hungry, or health and life to the sick and the 
dying. Oh, says the believer, when I see him as he is revealed in the 



574 MORNING EXERCISES. 

word : when I see in Mm all I want ; when I see how he became my 
Saviour — that when he was rich, for my sake he was made poor, and 
died that I might live ; when I know that he is remembering me still, 
now he is come into his kingdom — appearing in the presence of God for 
me, and making all things to work together for my good — how can I but 
exclaim, Thou art fairer than the children of men! His name must be 
as ointment poured forth ; his cause must lie near my heart ; I must 
dedicate myself to his service. I must hourly ask, Lord, what wilt 
thou have me to do ? 

" My God, and can a humble child, 

That loves thee with a flame so high, 
Be ever from thy face exiled, 

Without the pity of thine eye ? 

Impossible ; for thine own hands 

Have tied my heart so fast to thee — 
And in thy book the promise stands — 

That where thou art, thy friends must be." 

Thirdly, a life of obedience. Without this, an orthodox creed, the 
clearest knowledge, high confidence, much talking of divine things, 
great zeal for a party, will all in vain be called in to denominate you 
believers in Christ. Nothing can be more certain, than that as a man 
is not wise who calls himself so, while all his conduct proclaims him a 
fool ; and as he is not a benefactor who nev^er gives — unless, indeed, 
words ; so he is not a believer who thinks and professes himself to be 
such, but he who acts and lives as such. We read of the work of faith. 
Where is this operation? By faith Noah built an ark. , By faith Abra- 
ham left his own country and his father's house. Read the eleventh 
chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews, and see whether faith is a mere 
notion, or a vital principle. "As the body without the spirit is dead, 
so faith without works is dead also." " What doth it profit, my breth- 
ren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can such 
faith save him ?" Therefore says James, " Show me thy faith without 
thy works" — show me a sun that never shines, a fire that never burns, 
a fountain that never flows — "and I will show thee my faith by my 
works." I will show thee the spring in the streams, the cause in the 
effects, the principle in the practice. Though faith can alone justify 
the soul, works can alone justify faith, and prove it to be the operation 
of God. 



NOVEMBER 26. 

My people have forgotten their resting-place." Jer. 50 : 5. 
God has provided every creature he has made with some convenient 
good, in the possession of which it reposes. Natural bodies have their 
proper places towards which they are carried, and declare, by resting 
in them, that they are where they ought to be. Sensitive beings are 
led towards sensitive, and animal beings towards animal indulgence, as 
agreeable to their nature ; and these look no farther. But God hira- 



NOVEMBER 26. 575 

self is the resting-place of man ; and it has justly been remarked, that 
herein lies man's excellency ; that he alone, of all creatures in this 
lower world, was made capable of communion with his Maker, and de- 
signed for it ; and being designed for it, and made capable of it, he is 
necessarily unsatisfied and restless without it. For though he has been 
turned away from God by sin, he retains the same natural relation to 
God as his end ; so that he can enjoy no true repose till he meets with 
God again. He feels not only sentiments of misery, but of grandeur ; 
and whatever may be employed to quiet and content him, will be found 
perfectly inadequate ; and from every fruitless experiment to supply 
the immense cravings of a fallen, yet immortal mind, he will ever be 
asking, " Who will show us any good V 

There was a time when the "people of God" themselves attempted 
to live without him in the world. But they were dead while they lived. 
They were strangers to every thing like satisfaction, till they happily 
inquired, " Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night ?" 
But since they sought and found him, they have been able to make their 
boast in the Lord : " The Lord is my portion, saith my soul ; therefore 
will I hope in him." "Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and after- 
ward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and 
there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my 
heart faileth : but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for 
ever." He, therefore, is " their resting-place " actually and by conviction, 
and choice and enjoyment. And what a resting : place is he ! There is 
no repose like that which we possess in him. It is a peace that passeth 
all understanding. How then can it be described ? Who can express 
the blessedness of viewing him as our own God in the covenant of his 
dear Son, ready to pardon, able to enlighten, to renew, to support, to 
defend ; presiding over all our affairs, and making the most adverse 
events conduce to our welfare, and promising, on oath, that his grace 
shall be sufficient for us, and that he will supply all our need from his 
riches in glory, by Christ Jesus. All we can do is to invite others to 
come and learn — it is the only way to know— by experience. " taste 
and see that the Lord is good! blessed is the man that trusteth in him." 
Incomparable as this resting-place is, it is equally secure and durable. 
Nothing can destroy it, nothing can injure it, nothing can invade it. 
We live in the midst of uncertainty and change ; but the Lord changes 
not. There is therefore something sure, something lasting. It is that 
very one thing, Christian, upon which thou hast laid all thy hope, 
and from which thou drawest all thy comfort. The eternal God is thy 
refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. 

And yet they are charged with for getting their resting-place. The 
charge cannot be taken without limitation. As fainting is not death, 
and as backsliding is not apostasy, so this forgetfulness is not constant 
and total. But it cannot be denied that it is occasional and partial. 
Our ingratitude shows it. This is at once the effect and the proof of 
our forgetfulness of God, and is therefore expressed by it : " Thou hast 



576 MORNING EXERCISES. 

forgotten the God that formed thee." It sometimes appears with re- 
gard to the means of grace. In proportion as we feel our need of him, 
we shall value them, because it is in these that God is to be found and 
enjoyed. Hence it is said, " Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh 
to you." But we may read the Scriptures less than we did, and be less 
alone, and less regardful of the Sabbath, and suffer excuses to keep us 
from the sanctuary that once would have had no influence over us. It • 
shows itself in our looking to ourselves for what we want, when in the 
Lord we have righteousness and strength, and from him is our fruit 
found. We betray it in our creature dependence. Instead of commit- 
ting our way unto the Lord, and waiting patiently for him, we weary 
ourselves for very vanity in running from creature to creature for help, 
and learn by our folly and suffering that our strength is to sit still. 
" In returning and rest shall ye be saved ; in quietness and in confidence 
shall be your strength." And do we not forget him when we faint in 
the day of adversity ? " Oh," says one, " if such a comfort was removed, 
mine eye would no more see good." " Oh," says another, " my loss is 
irreparable ; my wound is incurable." We do not wish you to be in- 
sensible, or to undervalue your deprivations ; but is it a lamp or the sun 
of which you have been deprived? David, in the desolations of Zik- 
lag, did not forget his resting-place : " Then David encouraged himself 
in the Lord his God." Our regard to the world will also show our 
regard to God. We forget him just in proportion as the world strikes 
and allures us. In sight of him it can do nothing with us. But where 
is the spring, when we stoop to the puddle? Are not the consolations 
of God small with us when we repair to worldly attractions and de- 
lights ? 

But the charge is too obvious to require proof ; and every Christian 
will readily confess, 

" Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; 
Prone to leave the God I love." 

Yet how humiliating is the fact ; and how wonderful, too. " Can 
a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire ? Yet my people 
have forgotten me days without number," " who am their beauty, their 
glory ; all their salvation, and all their desire." How little would they 
themselves have supposed this possible when they first returned to him, 
from darkness to light, from bondage to liberty, from a wilderness to 
the garden of the Lord. " Thus saith the Lord, I remember thee, the 
kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest 
after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown." And still, 
after renewed manifestations, and under lively impressions, they are 
often ready to think they can never be the same dull and ungrateful 
creatures they have often been. 

" When my forgetful soul renews 

The savor of thy grace, 
My heart presumes I cannot lose 
The relish all my days. 



NOVEMBER 27. 577 

But ere one fleeting hour is past, 

The flattering world employs 
Some sensual bait to seize my taste, 

And to pollute my joys. 

Wretch that I am, to wander thus 

In chase of false delight ! 
Let me be fastened to thy cross, 

Rather than lose the sight. 

Make haste, my days, to reach the goal, 

And bring my soul to rest 
On the dear centre of my soul, 

My God, my Saviour's breast." 



NOVEMBER 27. 
"Faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." 1 Tim. 1 : 14. 

These two are often spoken of in the Scriptures. And if we ob- 
serve the passages in which they occur, and especially the words of the 
apostle John, " This is his commandment, that we believe on the name 
of his Son, and love one another." we shall see that the first regards 
Christ, and the second our brethren. 

But let us remark their order. Faith is placed before love ; and 
this is the case, without any exception, whenever they are coupled to- 
gether by the sacred writers. And there is reason for it. The order 
of the words is the order of the things. Faith precedes all true obedi- 
ence. It necessarily goes- before repentance. I cannot grieve for what 
I have done, unless I believe I have done amiss ; and I cannot sorrow 
after a godly sort, unless I look on him whom I have pierced, and 
mourn for him. Faith is a radical principle. It is the root of the tree, 
and all the rest is branch, blossom, and fruit. It is the spring from 
which every thing else in religion flows as a stream. Love does not 
produce faith, but faith love. 

Yet there is a connection between them, and their union is also as 
invariably expressed as their order. In truth, they are inseparable. Is 
it conceivable, that when such a scheme as Christianity gets into the 
soul, it can lie there dead, or even asleep ? Is it not compared to a well 
of water, springing up into everlasting life ; to a fire, that converts every- 
thing combustible into its own nature ; to leaven hid in meal, that leav- 
ens the whole lump? Observe all the believers who, in the Scriptures, 
encompass us as a great cloud of witnesses. Was their faith a notion, 
a profession, a form of godliness without the power ? Could such faith 
have saved them ? True faith overcomes the world ; it purifies the 
heart ; and it works by love. It does not indeed work by love exclu- 
sively. It works by hatred when it regards sin, and by fear when it 
regards danger. So Noah, by faith, being warned of God, was moved 
with fear. But love is the disposition the gospel peculiarly requires. 
It is the end of the commandment, out of a pure heart, and a good 

Morn. Exer. o7 



578 MORNING EXERCISES. 

conscience, and faith unfeigned. It also is preeminently suited to pro- 
duce it. What is God ? God is love. From what principle did he 
act in our salvation? God so loved the world that he gave his only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but 
have everlasting life. And if God so loved us, we ought also to love 
one another. What do we see in the life and death of the Saviour but 
divine compassion embodied, a love that passeth knowledge ? And 
what is the inference? "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear 
children ; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath 
given himself for us, an offering, and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet- 
smelling savor." 

Let us not pass over this. Some people's faith seems to work by 
selfishness, censoriousness, wrath, malice, and all uncharitableness. But 
we have no reason to conclude that we have " the faith of God's elect," 
unless, " as the elect of God, holy and beloved, we put on bowels of 
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, long-suffering ; forbearing one 
another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against 
any : even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." 

It is lamentable to think how many of our fellow-creatures are des- 
titute of these graces. Art thou, my soul, a stranger to the influence 
of this faith and love ? Let me remember that they are infinitely im- 
portant and indispensable. "He that believeth on the Son hath ever- 
lasting life : and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life ; but 
the wrath of God abideth on him." " We know that we have passed 
from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth 
not his brother abideth in death." 

But shall I be satisfied with the reality of this faith and love, re- 
gardless of the degree? How desirable, how necessary, how attainable 
is more of their vital prevalency. Let me resemble the Thessalonians, 
of whom the apostle could say, " We are bound to thank God always 
for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceed- 
ingly, and the charity of every one of you all towards each other 
aboundeth." 



NOYEMBEK 28. 
"Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long." Prov. 23 : 17. 

The mistake of many persons is, that they view religion as some- 
thing separate from common life, and which can hardly be made to 
agree with it. But we are to render every thing not only consistent with 
godliness, but even a part of it. If Gaius was to bring friends on their 
way, it was to be done so as to render it not only an act of civility, but 
of piety. 4 It was to be done " after a godly sort." " On thee," says 
David, " do I wait all the day." And Solomon enjoins us to be "in the 
fear of the Lord all the day long." The day here is to be taken, not 
abstractedly, as a mere period of duration, but in reference to its con- 
cerns. There are several things into contact with which we may ex- 



NOVEMBER 28. 570 

pect to come every day. Let us see how the fear of the Lord will influ- 
ence us with regard to each of them. 

First, it will influence us as to the devotions of the day. If there 
be an opportunity of repairing to the house of God and hearing his 
word, it will dispose us to avail ourselves of it, and so to regulate our 
affairs as to be able to attend. It will produce morning and evening 
worship at the family altar. It will also lead us to enter our closcts\ 
The principle also will not only excite us to the performance of devo- 
tion, but aid us in it. It will throw off mere formality, or cause us to 
mourn over our want of spirituality and life. 

Secondly, it will influence us as to the business of the day. It will 
require us to have some profession or calling in which we are to be em- 
ployed, and in this it will induce us to be diligent. An idle man can- 
not be under the power of religion, and he lies open to temptation. It 
will also make us conscientious — governing ourselves by the fair rules 
of trade ; not having divers weights and measures, or different kinds of 
goods and prices for friends or strangers, the knowing or the ignorant. 
It will allow us to aim at lawful advantage, but it will regulate and 
moderate our desire of gain. It will make us content with subsistence 
and competency, without wealth and independence. " He that maketh 
haste to be rich shall not be innocent." It will make us feel our reli- 
ance upon God for his blessing, without which we may rise early and 
sit up late, and eat the bread of sorrows. Upon the same principle, it 
will make us grateful for success, and keep us from burning incense to 
our own net, and sacrificing to our own drag. 

Thirdly, it will influence us as to the relaxations of the day. These 
we need ? Who could bear unceasing, unbending drudgery ? The ma- 
chine would soon be worn out by perpetual friction. All indulgences 
are not innocent. We shall therefore avoid those that would stain the 
mind and wound the conscience, and unfit us for prayer. We shall 
shun expensive entertainments. The most agreeable and useful recre- 
ations are the cheapest. And who can ever be at a loss for these, if 
they will follow nature instead of fashion ? And we shall indulge in 
none to excess, especially excess as to time. Of time we must always 
be frugal. Like the swallow, we must skim the water as we fly ; or 
like Gideon's followers, we must in our pursuit lap with the hand rather 
than kneel down. The fear of the Lord will make us always watchful 
with regard to indulgence, and especially in things lawful ; for here we 
are most liable to be ensnared. God giveth us all things to enjoy, but 
we are not to feast ourselves without fear. 

Fourthly, it will influence us as to the company of the day. Are we 
called to intermix with the wicked? We shall walk in wisdom towards 
them that are without. We shall endeavor to render our religion not 
only impressive, but attractive. We shall keep our mouth as with a 
bridle ; or if we speak, it will be a word in season. Do we meet with 
pious connections? We shall feel towards them as brethren. We shall 
speak of the things touching the King. We shall not offend against 



580 MOENING EXERCISES. 

the generation of the upright. Among our immediate relations, and 
in our family circle, we shall let the Christian appear, and maintain 
our consistency. If we rebuke, it will be in the spirit of love. We 
shall not threaten, but rather entreat. Our religion will be seen much 
oftener than it is heard ; and we shall expect to succeed, not so much 
by direct effort, as by keeping our charge constantly under the exhibi- 
tion of whatsoever things are lovely and of good report. 

Finally, it will influence us as to the trials of the day. It will not 
fill us with forebodings, and prevent our enjoying the present comforts 
of Providence, but it will keep us from forgetting that this is a vale of 
tears, or thinking it strange if we are called to endure. It will teach 
us to look beyond instruments ; to see and own the hand of God in our 
afflictions ;■ to inquire wherefore he contendeth with us; to implore 
grace not only to support, but to sanctify, and to enable us to honor 
God and edify others by our sufferings; and avoiding all improper 
means to escape from trouble, not only hope, but quietly wait for the 
salvation of God. 

A concern to exemplify all this is the best evidence of our religion. 
It is the way of safety and honor and advantage. The eye of God is 
upon us all the day long. He is doing us good all the day long. We 
may die all the day long. Let us therefore be in the fear of the Lord 
all the day long. 

NOVEMBER 29. 

" This is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus 
Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment." 1 John 3 : 23. 

The injunction of the latter of these has given rise to no difficulty. 
But much dispute has been occasioned by the commanding of the former. 
It is undeniable, however, that the one is enjoined as well as the other 
in the same passage, and by the very same authority. He that com- 
mands us to love one another, commands us equally to believe on the 
name of his Son Jesus Christ. 

And if so, then faith is a duty. Indeed, if it be not a duty, we are 
not bound to obey God. If it be not a duty, unbelief is not a sin. Yet 
the Holy Ghost convinces us of sin ; and of sin, because we believe not 
on Christ. Accordingly, in conviction, with the discovery of this guilt 
we are principally affected, and look on him whom we have pierced, 
and mourn for him. Hence, unbelief is punishable, and destroys the 
soul. Indeed, nothing else destroys the soul, under the gospel ; for 
provision is there made for our fallen condition, and pressed upon our 
acceptance ; but we neglect so great salvation, and turn away from him 
that speaketh from heaven. It is true, divine influence is necessary. 
But why is it not possessed ? If there be any truth in the Bible, it is 
sinful to be without it. But why should we seek after, or be thankful for 
assistance to enable us to do what we were under no obligation to do ? 

This justifies ministers in calling upon sinners to believe. There 
are some who condemn and ridicule them for this. But Ezekiel, in the 



NOVEMBER 30. 581 

name of God, prophesied to the dry bones, and said unto them, " Live." 
Paul made no scruple to admonish Simon Magus, though in the gall of 
bitterness and the bond of iniquity, to repent and pray. And to the 
jailer he said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved ; 
for he then was not. 

As the love of God renders our duty our privilege, so the authority 
of God renders our privilege our duty. And is not this an advantage ? 
For thus we are not left to the calls of self-love and our own interest, 
but are bound to pursue our welfare by the command of God, and the 
peril arising from a neglect of it. 

This also meets the state of the conscience, and affords encourage- 
ment to awakened sinners. These, under a sense of their unworthiness 
and guilt, will be sure to ask, " But may I go to him, and trust in him ? 
What warrant have I ?" Now here is the warrant — the command of 
God. I may doubt my title to a promise, but I cannot question my 
obligation to obey a divine command. This fully authorizes me ; yea, 
it not only secures me from presumption if I comply, but renders me 
chargeable with disobedience if I refuse. I am not afraid to love an- 
other. I never inquire, may I do it ? I know that I ought to do it, 
because he has commanded it. Why then should I fear to apply to the 
Saviour ? And why ask, May I believe on him to life everlasting ? since 
this also is his commandment, " That we should believe on the name of 
his Son Jesus Christ." 

" Lord, I believe ; help thou mine unbelief." 



NOVEMBER 30. 

"Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" John 9 : 35. 

Whoever thou art that readest this page, allow the writer to ad- 
dress this question to thee. 

Art thou young — dost thou believe on the Son of God ? that you 
did ! How the Scripture extols and recommends early godliness. They 
that seek me early, says the Saviour, shall find me ; find me — for there 
is an emphasis in the promise — find me, as others never will, never can 
find me : find me in a thousand peculiar preservations, honors, advan- 
tages, and delights. And what a favorable season do you now enjoy ; 
the body in health and strength, the mind in vigor, the memory reten- 
tive, the affections warm, the heart tender, the cares and troubles of 
life scarcely begun, the days distant in which you will say, " I have no 
pleasure in them." Oh, redeem the time ! Remember thy Creator in 
the days of thy youth. Enter immediately a course that is profitable 
unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which 
is to come. 

Art thou old — dost thou believe on the Son of God ? Thy age re- 
quires respect, and I readily pay it ; but thy state demands all my fidel- 
ity. And art thou, at the end of sixty, seventy, eighty years, ignorant 
of the Redeemer, whom to know is life eternal ? Have all these de- 



582 MORNING EXERCISES. 

parted seasons been passed only in vanity and vice ? Is thy day rapidly 
closing, and thy work, thy journey not even begun ? Does thine eye, 
in looking back, meet with nothing but guilt ; and in looking forward, 
nothing but gloom ? How I pity thy condition. It is time, it is high 
time to awake out of sleep. And, blessed be God, it is not too late. I 
announce a Saviour who is able to save unto the uttermost, and who 
converted and pardoned the thief at the eleventh hour. Oh, seek him 
while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near. But if 
thou art old in grace as well as in age, thy hoary head, being found in 
the way of righteousness, is a crown of glory. And thy salvation is 
nearer than when thou believedst. The night with thee is far spent, 
and the day is at hand. Yet a little while, and what a blessed deliv- 
erance ! What a glorious elevation ! Till then let faith and patience 
have their perfect work. Recommend his service to others from your 
own knowledge of its excellency. Take a fresh and firmer hold of him 
from the proofs you have had of his faithfulness and care • and leaning 
upon his arm as you descend, say, 

" By long experience, I have known 

Thy sovereign power to save ; 
At thy command, I venture down 
Securely to the grave." 

Art thou indulged by Providence ? Dost thou believe on the Son of 
God ? Perhaps sickness led you down to the very gates of death, and 
you looked into eternity, and without hope in that world, you trembled, 
and cried, Take me not off in the midst of my days ; spare me, that I 
may recover strength before I go hence and be no more. And he 
heard your cry, and said, Return again, ye children of men. And have 
you returned again to folly ? And have you forgotten that the vows of 
God are upon you? And what is a recovered body while the soul is 
full of moral disease ? And reprieve, too, is not a pardon. Dust thou 
art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Is the sentence still suspended ? 
And the delayed exeoution will be attended with added terror and re- 
morse. Perhaps thy business flourishes ; thy grounds bring forth plen- 
tifully ; thy cup runneth over. We do not wish you to despise the 
bounties of nature and providence ; yea, you ought to be thankful for 
them. As to their use, they are valuable ; but what are they as a por- 
tion ? How melancholy is the thought that you must leave them. And 
you know not how soon you may be torn from all your treasure. And 
even in the midst of your fulness, are you not in straits ? Do you not 
sigh over your very enjoyments ? Does not success, as well as disap- 
pointment, tell you that this is not your rest? Ah, these failures of 
hope, these inward uneasinesses are the inspirations of the Almighty to 
give you understanding. They are designed to turn you from creatures, 
which are all vanity and vexation of spirit, to a Saviour who is full of 
grace and truth. Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace ; 
thereby good shall come unto thee. 

Art thou the subject of affliction ? Dost thou believe on the Son of 



NOVEMBER 30. 583 

God ? To be poor in the world, and be destitute of the true riches ; to 
have no friend below, and no God above ; to pass from the sorrows of 
time into a more miserable eternity, is a state so dreadful, that every 
feeling of benevolence must be concerned to find a resource for its vic- 
tims. And such we are happy enough to be able to open. There is 
the hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in the time of trouble. His gos- 
pel is sent to bind up the broken-hearted. Perhaps you are at your 
wits' end. Perhaps you are ready to curse the day of your birth. Per- 
haps you are tempted to destroy yourself. Beware of Satan's relief. 
Beware of a cure that will be far worse than the disease. And you 
need it not. There is one near you whom you know not. He is now 
stretching forth his soft hand ; he is now saying, " Come unto me, all 
ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." This man 
shall be the peace when the Assyrian cometh into the land. 

Art thou a professor of religion? Dost thou believe on the Son of 
God ? " Why should you address the inquiry to me ? Had not the 
church been satisfied with my character, and deemed me a believer, 
they would not have admitted me to their communion." But they 
might have been mistaken. They could only judge from outward ap- 
pearance, and it became them to be candid. There is no certainty from 
this quarter. " But if I had not hoped that I was a real believer in 
Jesus, I should not have proposed myself as a member of a Christian 
church, and have come to the Lord's table, where I should have eaten 
and drunken unworthily. Why, then, do you suspect me?" My friend, 
I do not suspect you, but I love you ; and love, though not suspicious, 
is cautious. As mistakes are possible and common, it cannot be im- 
proper for you to examine yourself, and prove whether you are in the 
faith. If the house be built upon the sand, it is well to know it before 
the storm comes. But if it be built on the rock, the discovery will yield 
fresh satisfaction, and you will be encouraged to say, " I know whom I 
have believed ; and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I 
have committed to him against that day." 

Or art thou a real Christian ? Dost thou believe on the Son of God? 
" I know that thou believest." Yet as pride blends with the humility 
of the most humble, and impatience with the resignation of the most 
patient, even so, as an old writer says, how unbelieving are the best 
believers ! When our Saviour had expressed himself more fully and 
clearly, his disciples exclaimed, "Now are we sure that thou knowest 
all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee ; by this we 
believe that thou earnest forth from God." Jesus answered them, Do 
ye now believe ? You think so ; but imagination is not reality. I 
know you better than you know yourselves. And you yourselves, in a 
little time, will see that you have much less faith than you now profess. 
" Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered 
every man to his own, and shall leave me alone : and yet I am not alone, 
because the Father is with me." All, all may cry out with tears, Lord, 
I believe ; help thou mine unbelief. 



584 MORNING EXERCISES. 

DECEMBER 1. 

" Doth Job fear God for naught ?" Job 1 : 9. 

These are the words of Satan. Some deny the agency, and even 
the existence of such a being. But the denial renders the language of 
the scripture inexplicable and absurd. It also furnishes a proof of the 
fact itself; for the god of this world blindeth the minds of them that 
believe not. 

These are the words of Satan ; and let us not refuse to consider 
them because he is the speaker. Truth is the same, whoever utters it. 

" Seize upon truth, where'er 'tis found ; 
Among your friends, among your foes; 
On Christian, or on heathen ground — 
The flower 's divine, where'er it grows : 
Refuse the prickles, and assume the rose." 

Alluding to the scribes, our Saviour said to his hearers, " Whatsoever 
they command you to observe, that observe ye : but do not after their 
works ; for they say, and do not." 

These are the words of Satan ; but though we should not refuse the 
truth because it comes from him, yet it surely becomes us to examine 
whether what he says is truth, and also for what purpose he says it ; for 
even truth may be misapplied and abused. It is thus Antinomians are 
so injurious : by the most precious doctrines of the gospel, they turn 
the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and make Christ the minister 
of sin. In our Lord's temptation, Satan had a Bible with him, and 
turned to the passages, or he showed a good memory for the scripture, 
for he quoted it very readily ; but it was for the vilest design. 

Now it is easy to learn his meaning here. God had been extolling 
his servant Job. " The Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my 
servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth : a perfect and an 
upright man : one that feareth God, and escheweth evil ?" Then Satan 
answered the Lord and said, " He is, I acknowledge, a worshipper of 
thee. And no wonder. He has found it the way to grandeur and 
wealth. It has procured for him seven thousand sheep, and three thou- 
sand camels, and five hundred she-asses, and a very great household ; 
so that he is the greatest man in the East. He has found godliness 
gain, and now makes gain godliness. Doth Job serve God for naught ?" 

Here we see how well Satan is called the accuser of the brethren. 
He accuses them to God ; and as many of the articles are true, they 
would have reason to fear ; but they have One in court to nonsuit him ; 
they have an Advocate with the Father. " Who is he that condemneth ? 
It is Christ that died ; yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at 
the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." He ac- 
cuses them before men. We see, from the early defences of Christian- 
ity, how much they were defamed. At their private suppers they 
devoured their own infants. At their nocturnal meetings they commit- 



DECEMBER 1. 585 

ted every crime that could disgrace human nature. If there was a fire 
or a famine, they caused the one and occasioned the other. In the Acts 
of the Apostles, we read that Christians were a sect everywhere spoken 
against. It is so still j and some of the brightest characters that have 
adorned the church and served their generation in modern times, have 
been blackened by every vileness of imputation. 

See the malignant cunning of this adversary, who goeth about seek- 
ing whom he may devour or distress. He can bring nothing against 
Job's conduct — this was undeniably fair and righteous ; he therefore 
insinuates a charge against his motive. Are there none that follow his 
example? "He is so and so. He does so and so : and this would be 
very well, but it is to please his connections — to aid his business — to 
gain a name. Ah, were it real — but it is all outside, all show, all pre- 
tence." Now nothing can be more Satanic than this. There is a great 
difference between judging ourselves and judging others. In the one 
case we cannot be too severe ; in the other, we cannot be too candid. 
Yet the reverse of this practice commonly prevails. We should not 
judge ourselves only or principally by our actions, but by our motives, 
which enter so essentially into their morality. But we should judge 
others wholly by their conduct, and not by their motives, for these are 
cognizable only to God. It is his prerogative to search the heart. He 
will not condemn us for our ignorance of it. Charity thinketh no evil. 
It will always be far more honorable to be mistaken in any of our fel- 
low-creatures, than to be suspicious of them. 

Satan was right in the principle of his insinuation, that there was 
little to admire in Job's 'excellency, had he been a mere mercenary 
wretch, who, in all he did, had no regard for God, but to his own ad- 
vantage only. Such actors there have always been. Thus Laban 
pressed Jacob to continue with him, not from affection or respect, but 
because, says he, I have learned by experience that the Lord hath 
blessed me for thy sake. In the same way the Shechemites reasoned : 
" Shall not their cattle, and their substance, and every beast of theirs 
be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.' 7 
Jehu said, " See my zeal for the Lord ;" but it was to aggrandize him- 
self and his family ; and he was even punished for actions which ful- 
filled the will of God. Our Saviour did not commend those who fol- 
lowed him because they did eat of the loaves and fishes. He early 
applied a test which would evince a regard for himself in those that 
adhered to him, saying, He that forsaketh not all that he hath, cannot 
be my disciple. And we always, in the conduct of our fellow-creatures, 
value a trifle that is done from pure regard, while we despise the splen- 
did service that aims at the performer's own advantage. 

But though there was force in Satan's reasoning, yet, first, nothing 
could be more vile and false than his application of it to Job. And 
therefore God permitted him to be tried, that his rectitude might be 
found unto praise and glory and honor. Satan said, " Put forth thy 
hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy 



586 MORNING EXERCISES. 

face." Then says God, Behold, all he hath is in thy power ; only upon 
himself put not forth thy hand. But he bears well the destruction of 
the whole. Then said Satan, " Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath, 
will he give for his life. But put forth thy hand now, and touch his 
bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord 
said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand ; but save his life." And he 
is now covered with sore boils, from the crown of his head to the sole 
of his foot. But in all this he sinneth not, nor charges God foolishly ; 
and instead of cursing him to his face, he exclaims^ " Blessed be the 
name of the Lord !" 

And, secondly, we must distinguish between unprincipled selfish- 
ness, and excitements to gratitude and encouragement. The supreme 
reason, as well as the grand rule of obedience, is the will of God. And 
the language oT the Christian is, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to 
do ?" And the providence of God will often afford him opportunities 
to evince that the divine glory is dearer to him than his secular advan- 
tage. But it cannot be wrong to think of the promises, and be ani- 
mated in our difficulties by the view of what the Scripture has proposed 
to our hope. Thus Moses is not censured for having respect unto the 
recompense of the reward. And Jesus, for the joy that was set before 
him, endured the cross, and despised the shame. 

And, thirdly, though we ought not to serve God for gain as the 
motive, we cannot serve God for naught as to the result. He is a good 
master ; and while his work is honorable and glorious, he deals well 
with his servants. In keeping his commandments there is great re- 
ward. " Godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of 
the life that now is, and of that which is to come." 



DECEMBER 2 






" And she said, Truth, Lord : yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their 
masters' table.'' Matt. 15 : 27. 

To Him, said the dying Jacob, shall the gathering of the people be. 
To Him, said the evangelical Isaiah, shall men come. He is the centre 
of all attraction, because he is the only source of relief. To whom, in 
all our ignorance, should we go, but to him who has the words of eter- 
nal life ? To whom, in all our guilt and weakness, but to him in whom 
we have righteousness and strength? To whom, in all our dangers and 
misery, but to him who is the hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in the 
time of trouble? And, blessed be his name, he is not only mighty to 
save, but has been pleased to assure us, " him that cometh unto me, I 
will in no wise cast out." 

But he may try the confidence he has bound himself not to disap- 
point. We have here an application made to him by a woman of Ca- 
naan, who cried to him, saying, " Have mercy on me, Lord, thou Son 
of David ; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil." Observe 



DECEMBER 2. 587 

the discouragements she meets with. First, his silence : " He answered 
her not a word." Secondly, the address of his disciples. It is not cer- 
tain that they pleaded for her relief at all ; but if they did, it was in a 
spirit that we cannot admire. They betrayed impatience, and a wish 
to get rid of her importunity. " His disciples came and besought him, 
saying, Send her away ; for she crieth after us." Then here is, thirdly, 
a kind of exclusion, which seems to place her beyond the reach of his 
commission, if not of his pity. He said, ' : I am not sent but unto the 
lost sheep of the house of Israel." All this not driving her away, He, 
fourthly, speaks as if he would add insult to rejection : " Is a dog to be 
treated like one of the family ? It is not meet to take the children's 
bread, and cast it to dogs." And she said, " Truth, Lord : yet the dogs 
eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Let us con- 
sider this as the language of a sinner applying for mercy in the prayer 
of faith. 

First, he allows the truth of God's word, however it may reflect 
upon him. " Truth, Lord." He had in effect called the woman a dog, 
and nothing could have been more reproachful. We see this in the 
question of Hazael, and the offer of Abishai with regard to Shimei. 
Among the Jews, too, a dog was an animal unclean, and forbidden in 
sacrifice ; and God's utmost abhorrence of a victim was expressed by 
cutting off a dog's neck. Yet he says, " Truth, Lord ;" I acquiesce in 
the censure. A sinner is called every thing that is vile in the Scrip- 
ture — a fool, a madman, a rebel, a traitor, unworthy of the least of all 
God's mercies, and deserving that his wrath should come upon him. 
And, Lord, says he, it is* all true. And thou art justified when thou 
speakest, and clear when thou judgest. Here others stand out ; but 
the convinced sinner is brought to add his amen not only to the truth 
of God's word in general, but the truth of it with regard to his own 
personal guilt, depravity, and condemnation. And till we are brought 
to this, the gospel can have nothing to do with us. It is a remedy ; 
but a remedy is for the sick, and not for the healthful. The way to 
attain relief and comfort, is not to deny, conceal, or extenuate our sins, 
but to confess them in all their heinousness, and in dealing with God, to 
stand where his word places us. 

Secondly, he draws encouragement from seeming repulse. " Yet, 
Lord." This is an exercise of spiritual understanding ; but the abso- 
lute importance of the case makes the man alive to every opening of 
hope, and he is now under the influence of the Spirit, that is teaching 
him to be wise unto salvation. Thus darkness is made light, and 
crooked things straight. Thus he rises above difficulties which would 
otherwise be insuperable. He distinguishes between appearances and 
reality. " I know that, behind a frowning providence, He hides a smil- 
ing face." Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. If he wounds, 
it is to heal. I hope I am his, because I am thus. As long as he tries 
me, he is not saying, Let him alone. He would not thus prune the tree, 
if he had sentenced it to be cut down. I see what once I did not, and 



588 MORNING EXERCISES. 

the discovery is painful ; but if he was minded to kill me, he would not 
have showed me such things as these. That be far from him, to trifle 
with my misery. In vain the enemy says, " But thy sins are so numer- 
ous and aggravated." They are ; but this is the very reason why I 
should apply for mercy. Pardon mine iniquity ; for it is great. 

Thirdly, he prizes the least communication from the Saviour. 
"Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their 
masters' table ;" and this is all I crave. The very same sentiment is 
put into the mouth of the prodigal. There is bread enough in my 
father's house, and I perish with hunger ; he never thought of the fat- 
ted calf, or the best robe, or of the ring on his hand, or the shoes on his 
feet. Oh, let me return to thy dear abode, and I shall not covet the 
chief room, or the highest seat. Make me as one of thy hired servants. 
Moses esteemed the reproach of Christ. David wished to be a door- 
keeper in the house of his God. The least grace is infinitely precious. 
It is connected with salvation, and makes us the heirs of promise. 
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Fourthly, he perceives the affluence and all-sufficiency of the Lord 
Jesus. Though what I implore is much for me to receive, it is nothing 
for thee to give. It is no more than a* crumb from a king's table ; and 
what is this to the viands on his board, and the resources of his wealth. 
What I implore, thou wilt not miss, and I shall not rob thy children of 
their portion and plenty. 

Come therefore to him, remembering that he is Lord of all ; that he 
is not only rich, but that his riches are unsearchable ; that he has not 
only fulfilled the law, but magnified it, and made it honorable ; that his 
righteousness is the righteousness of God by faith ; that his blood 
cleanseth from all sin ; that in him all fulness dwells. 

And he will give you not a dog's place and a dog's portion, but he 
will put you among the children. He will seat you at his own table. 
He will say, Eat, friends, and drink ; yea, drink abundantly, be- 
loved. Was it not so here? Was he not charmed, instead of being 
displeased with her earnest and continued application ? Does he not 
commend her for not taking a denial, and for urging him apparently 
against his will? "0 woman, great is thy faith;" not, great is thy 
humility, thy importunity, thy perseverance — these were great, but faith 
was the root of them all. This, therefore, was what he admired in her, 
and this is the one thing needful for us. This alone will keep us steady 
to our purpose ; this alone will carry us through all our difficulties. 
This insures our final success; this crowns us with praise and glory 
and honor at the appearing of Jesus Christ. And he said unto her, 
"Be it unto thee even as thou wilt." So will he say to you. And you 
will be inexcusable indeed, if you do not avail yourselves of the large- 
ness of the offer, and ask and receive, that your joy may be full. 



DECEMBER 3. 589 

DECEMBER 3. 

"Behold, I am vile." Job 40 :4. 

Vile, says Johnson's Dictionary, signifies mean, worthless, base, 
despicable, impure. There is nothing in the world to which this ap- 
plies so well as to sin. And it is to sin that the exclaimer here refers. 
He does not call himself vile because he was reduced and poor. By 
this no man of reflection would ever feel himself degraded. A horse 
is not valued for his trappings, but for his strength or his speed. Char- 
acter is a personal thing, and independent of outward circumstances. 
If poverty, as some fools seem to judge, make a man vile, how vile 
were the apostles, who could say, "We hunger, and thirst, and are 
naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place 1" And 
how vile was He who had not where to lay his head ! 

Nor does he call himself vile because he was diseased, and full of 
sore boils from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot. The 
Scripture, indeed, calls the body " this vile body ;" and it is truly hum- 
bling, not only in the putrefaction of the grave, but frequently also 
even in life. How low are some of its appetites, how mortifying some 
of its infirmities ; while some of its diseases are so trying as to require 
all the force of friendship to discharge the common duties of humanity. 
But there are no " wounds, bruises, putrefying sores " to be compared 
with the effects of sin — nothing is so vile as this. This makes us abom- 
inable to God himself, and is the only thing that does render us offen- 
sive. And how loathsome must that be, that causes the Creator to 
abhor the work of his own hands ; and the Father of mercies to punish 
it with everlasting destruction from his presence, and to refuse to par- 
don it without the sacrifice of his own Son. 

But who makes this confession ? Is it a profligate wretch, whose ini- 
quity in its effects has been found to be hateful, even to himself? Is it 
a penitent newly awakened, and looking into his own heart, that had 
been concealed from him before ? No ; but Job, a saint, and a saint of 
no ordinary magnitude. You have heard of the patience of Job ; and 
know how he is mentioned by Ezekiel, along with Noah and Daniel, as 
one of three who were preeminently righteous ; and how God, the Judge 
of all, calls him " a perfect and an upright man." Yet this is he who 
cries, "Behold, I am vile!" And what do we learn from hence but 
this, that the most gracious characters are the most remote from vain- 
glory, and that they are always more affected with their imperfections 
than with their excellences ? The nearer we approach completeness in 
any thing, the more easily we shall discern, and the more sensibly we 
shall feel our remaining deficiencies. A little learning puffeth up, but 
modesty and diffidence attend profound science. The advancing in 
knowledge is like sailing down a river, which widens as we proceed, 
till we find ourselves launched on the sea, and lose sight of the shore. 
Whoever vaunts himself as sinless, Paul did not. " I have not attained," 



590 MORNING EXERCISES. 

says he, " I am not already perfect." " I am less than the least of all 
saints ;" "I am the chief of sinners.' 7 Not that there is no difference 
between a saint and a sinner. Job does not mean, that he loved sin, or 
lived in sin. His friends accused him of this, but he denied it ; and 
turning to God, could say, " Thou knowest that I am not wicked." But 
he knew that in many things he offended, and in every thing came 
short of the glory of God. He was aware of the remains of sin oppos- 
ing, hindering, vexing, polluting his renewed mind ; and though they 
appeared not to the view of others in gross transgressions, they were 
constantly felt by himself in an evil heart of unbelief, prone to depart 
from the living God ; and constraining him to sigh, " wretched man 
that I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this death ?" 

And let us observe also when this acknowledgment was made. It 
was immediately after God's interposition and appearance and address. 
" Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is 
this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge ? Gird up now 
thy loins like a man, for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me." 
Then he displayed before him some of his works and perfections. 
" Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth 
with the Almighty instruct him? He that reproveth God, let him 
answer it. Then Job answered the Lord, and said, Behold, I am vile A 
teaching us, that the more we have to do with God, the more we shall 
see and feel our nothingness and unworthiness. What can make us so 
sensible of our ignorance as his wisdom ; of our weakness, as his power ; 
of our pollution, as his purity — the purity of Him in whose sight the 
very heavens are not clean ? Those are struck with little things who 
have never been abroad to see greater ones. But travelling enlarges the 
mind, and fills it with new and superior images ; so that on our return, 
we think nothing of the river and the hill and the plain of our native 
village. The queen of Sheba prided herself upon her magnificence till 
she came to Jerusalem, and had seen Solomon in all his glory. He that 
has been introduced to the Lord of all, and has had communion with 
him, will never think highly of himself again. " The loftiness of man 
shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low ; 
and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." Ah, said Job, " I 
have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth 
thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." 

"The more thy glories strike mine eyes, 
The humbler I shall lie." 

And I need not be afraid of the effect ; my pride is the only prevention 
of my happiness. 

" Thus while I sink, my joys shall rise 
Unmeasurably high." 



DECEMBER 4. 591 

DECEMBER 4. 

" Make me to know my transgression and my sin." Job 13 : 23. 

The desire of knowledge seems natural to every man. The eye is 
not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing. But who wishes to 
know himself? Yet this is the knowledge we want. And there are 
two things concerning ourselves, which it argues a gracious state of 
mind to be willing to know — our mortality, and our depravity. A natu- 
ral man turns away from both these. But says David, " Lord, make me 
to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is ; that I may 
know how frail I am." And says Job, "Make me to know my trans- 
gression and my sin." 

To explore the offences of others is a common wish. The informa- 
tion not only gratifies curiosity, but feeds malevolence, and furnishes 
the salt which seasons the conversation of the multitude. But says 
Job, " Make me to know my transgression and my sin." 

And what does he wish to know concerning them ? Their number ; 
their guilt ; their pollution ; their aggravation. 

And this knowledge he seeks from God. He alone can teach us to 
profit. Conviction is the work of his own Spirit. But he uses means ; 
and shows us our transgression and our sin by the law and by the gos- 
pel, and by friends ar.d enemies, and by the dispensations of his provi- 
dence. But he does it gradually. We could not bear all the disclosure 
at once ; it would drive us into distraction or despair. He therefore 
tells us to turn again into the chamber of imagery, and we shall see 
greater abominations. And this will serve to explain a case in the 
Christian's experience. He sometimes supposes himself to grow worse, 
because he grows wiser. He seems more sinful, because he is more 
enlightened : there is not more evil in him, but he sees more. 

The effect of this knowledge, in the first instance, will be wonder. 
It calls us out of darkness into God's marvellous light. We are aston- 
ished that he has borne with us so long ; we are astonished that we have 
acted such a foolish, such an ungrateful part ; we are astonished that 
we did not see these things before, for they now strike us with all the 
force of evidence ; and we are astonished that we see them now, since 
the thousands around us are blind still, and we were once blind also. 
But the result of the discovery will be as important and useful as it is 
surprising. 

Self-knowledge will produce self-annihilation. Self-vindication will 
be at an end, and we shall condemn ourselves. Self-complacency will 
be at an end, and we shall loathe ourselves. Self-dependence will be 
at an end, and we shall have no confidence in the flesh. " The lofty 
looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be 
bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." 

Hence will arise the endearment of the Saviour. How precious is 
the refuge now the danger is seen ! How inviting the healing fountain 
appears now we feel our disease ! For want of this sensibility, many 



592 MORNING EXERCISES. 

read and hear of the Lord Jesus with indifference. How can it be 
otherwise ? They that are whole need not the physician, but they that 
are sick. " The full soul loatheth a honey-comb, but to the hungry 
soul every bitter thing is sweet." 

Hence also submission under afflictive dispensations. I will bear 
the indignation of the Lord, said the church, because I have sinned 
against him. Why, says Jeremiah, should a living man complain? 
Aaron's recollection of his making a calf just before kept him dumb in 
the loss of his sons. And David felt, from his adultery and murder, 
how well it became him to say, in Absalom's rebellion, Here I am ; let 
the Lord do what seemeth him good. If a Christian has nothing crimi- 
nal in particular to fix upon, he will see enough in his general temper 
and walk to keep him from thinking that God deals hardly with him. 
The wonder with him will be, not that his trials are so many, but so 
few — not that so many of his comforts are taken, but that any are left. 

Another advantage will be habitual gratitude. The proud are 
never thankful. Heap whatever favors upon them, and what reward 
have ye ? They think they deserve it. You are only doing your duty ; 
you are doing justly, rather than loving mercy. But when we are 
humble, in the same proportion we shall t^e grateful. "When we feel 
that we are not worthy of the least of all God's mercies, how thankful 
shall we be for the bread we eat, and the water we drink. What, then, 
shall we feel for the word of his truth, and the Son of his love? 

Finally, as we are sensible of our depravity, we shall be tender 
towards others. Faithful dealing with ourselves will always be accom- 
panied with candid dealing with our fellow-creatures. When we are 
much at home we cannot live much abroad. . When we are employed in 
pulling the beams out of our own eyes, we shall not have much time for 
finding motes in those of others. If there be a difference between us 
and them, we shall ascribe it, when we know ourselves, to the mercy 
and grace of God. He has made us to differ, and we have nothing but 
what we have received. If we meet with things which are really 
wrong, and which we cannot deny, we shall not rejoice, but weep. And 
if a brother be overtaken in a fault, we shall restore such an one in the 
spirit of meekness ; considering ourselves, lest we also be tempted. 

Mandeville, in his fable of the bees, and Rochefoucault, in his max- 
ims, and many infidel writers, have shown great acquaintance with the 
depravity of human nature. But they learned it from the devil, and 
the scholars felt like the teacher. They delighted in the subject ; they 
loved to expose it. It was their interest to degrade and vilify human 
nature, to draw from it arguments for hatred, injury, selfishness, and 
distrust. But God teaches us the depravity of human nature princi- 
pally through our own depravity. And with his teaching, he communi- 
cates his own Spirit. We therefore pity our common nature; we 
mourn over its dishonor ; we pray for our fellow-sinners ; we long to 
save them. 



DECEMBER 5. 593 

DECEMBER 5. 

" This man shall be the peace, "when the Assyrian shall come into our land." Micah 
5:5. 

That the Messiah is the person here intended, will not be denied by 
those who read the verses immediately preceding, and which speak so 
expressly of his incarnation and glory. The word man, indeed, as the 
italics apprize us, is not in the original. The sentence therefore reads, 
"And this shall be the peace" — this person of whom the prophet had 
been just speaking ; he who was born as the ruler in Bethlehem, and 
whose goings forth were from everlasting : " He shall stand and feed in 
the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God ; 
and they shall abide : for now shall he be great unto the ends of the 
earth." The translators, therefore, should rather have put in the word 
Ruler or Shepherd. But whatever be the supplement, it all comes to 
the same, provided he himself be understood, who is all our salvation 
and all our desire. For " this shall be the peace, when the Assyrian 
shall come into our land." 

But who is this Assyrian? The word cannot be taken literally. 
The Assyrians never entered Judea after the birth of Christ. It is 
therefore used metaphorically for some enemy ; nothing being more 
common than for the sacred writers to express, by the name of Egypt, 
Assyria, or Babylon, any significant adversary, as those powers had 
distinguished themselves by their hatred, oppression, and enslaving the 
Jews. The intimation, therefore, is better than if it had been more 
definite, as we may now include every thing that annoys and alarms, 
every thing that would injure or destroy. Be the case what it may, he 
is our principal, our only relief. He does not exempt us from trouble 
and conflict, but he affords us assistance, comfort, and deliverance. 
Storms may arise, but he is our strong-hold. Enemies may assail us, 
but he will give us victory at last, and even now keep our minds in 
perfect peace, being stayed on him. 

Let us think of several of these Assyrians, and see how, when they 
invade us and would swallow us up, he is our peace. Does the broken 
law of God threaten us ? I say, the broken law of God : a man has 
nothing to fear from it when it is perfectly kept ; for the man that doeth 
these things shall live in them. But the soul that sinneth it shall die. 
The curse enters through every breach of transgression. And who is 
not therefore exposed ? Who can be so ignorant as to imagine that he 
has continued in all things written in the book of the law to do them? 
Now here is a condition to be in. The commandment coming, sin reviv- 
ing, hope dying, and nothing expected but a certain fearful looking for 
of judgment. But He is our peace, who died for our offences, and rose 
again for our justification. 

" Go, ye that rest upon the law, 

And toil, and seek salvation there : 
Look to the flames that Moses saw, 
And fear and tremble and despair. 

Morn. Exer. OO 



594 MORNING EXERCISES. 

But I '11 retire beneath the cross — 

Saviour, at thy dear feet I lie ; 
And the keen sword that justice draws, 

Flaming and red, shall pass me by." 

Or does our adversary the devil terrify ? Oh, you say, when I think 
of his wiles and strength, and his successes for near six thousand years ; 
and when I consider myself, here is enough to fill me not only with 
dread, but despair. What am I to the powers of darkness ? No more 
than a " worm to a mountain." Well, be it so : the promise is, " Fear 
not, thou worm Jacob ; for thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat 
them small as the dust." In the Lord you have not only righteousness, 
but strength. Think of him, and take courage. In all these things 
you are more than conquerors, through him that loved you. 

Or do we complain of the sin that dwelleth in us ? A Christian must 
feel this, and ought to feel it, and be deeply humbled before God on the 
account of it. Paul felt it, and felt it more than he felt all his suffer- 
ings. "0 wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the 
body of this death?" But where does he find relief? "I thank God, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord." "He will save me from my sins ; and 
not only from their dominion, but their very being. He has begun a 
good work in me, and he will finish it. My sanctification will be as 
complete as my justification now is. He is not only able to keep me 
from falling, but to present me faultless before the presence of his glory 
with exceeding joy." 

Or do we consider the troubles of life? In accordance with this 
very case, he said to his disciples, In the world ye shall have tribula- 
tion ; but in me ye shall have peace. And they found it so, and could 
acknowledge, " As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consola- 
tion also aboundeth by Christ." Modern Christians may not be called 
to suffer persecutions as they did, but they may be the subjects of per- 
sonal and relative trials, which require the same support and solace ; 
and they equally belong to him, and are never dearer to his heart than 
in the hour of affliction, and he will not leave them comfortless. Is it 
nothing to know that he has removed every thing penal from thy suffer- 
ings ; that he will never leave thee, nor forsake thee ; that his grace 
shall be sufficient for thee ; and that all thy sorrows shall yield the 
peaceable fruits of righteousness ? 

But death ! Death is called the king of terrors. Who can wonder 
that we should feel at the approach of it ? And where would be the 
triumph of faith, if we did not? But it is possible to rise above this 
enemy. We know it from Scripture ; we know it from observation. 
And whence comes the victory ? Persons may die insensibly, or they 
may banish the subject from their minds ; but if a man thinks of it, 
and thinks of it properly, there is only one relief when this Assyrian 
approaches us. It is to see Him that has " abolished death." It is to 
hear him saying, " He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet 
shall he live ; and he that liveth and believeth in me, shall never die." 



DECEMBER 6. 595 

And this is not all. The enemy is not only disarmed by him, but turned 
into a friend. The curse is converted into a blessing. To die is gain ; 
and gain too, generally in the experience, as well as always in the result. 
Well therefore could David say, " Yea, though I walk through the val- 
ley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil ; for thou art with mc : 
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." 

Behold the Consolation of Israel. Whatever would dismay us, let 
us look towards him, and say, " This same shall comfort us." Thanks 
be unto God for his unspeakable gift. 



DECEMBER 6. 

" Hast not thou made a hedge about him ?" Job 1 :10. 

This was the question of Satan. The design of it was crafty and 
cruel ; it was to insinuate that Job's religion was all mercenary. There- 
fore, no sooner had God extolled him — who can stand before envy ? — 
than "Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for 
naught ? Hast not thou made a hedge about him ?" But though the 
motive he ascribes to Job is false, it is otherwise with the condition he 
represents him to be in. It was true that God had made a hedge about 
him, and he does the same for all believers. Three things may be 
inferred from it. 

First, God's people must be dear and valuable, otherwise he would 
not make a hedge about them. Men do not incur expense, and take 
pains to fence in a wilderness, a common, or a dunghill, but only what 
they set a price upon. " Since," says God, " thou hast been precious in 
my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee." This love 
" passeth knowledge." His vineyard, his garden, his jewels, his chil- 
dren, his bride, are not so dear and precious to their owner as all the 
subjects of divine grace are to God. " The Lord taketh pleasure in 
them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy." 

Secondly, they must be liable to danger and injury. Why else 
should he make a hedge about them? They are exposed to the same 
perils with others. But they have many which are peculiar to them- 
selves, because of their new state and character and privileges. David 
admits this : " Thou preparest a table before me, in the presence of my 
enemies." They were all around him, looking on, ready to seize his 
comfort, and destroy his person. What is the language of every awak- 
ened soul? "Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! Many 
there be that rise up against me." And as they are numerous, so they 
are malicious, wise, and powerful, and would soon overcome him ; but 
his help cometh from the name of the Lord, who made heaven and 
earth. 

Thirdly, they must be safe whatever evils encompass them ; for they 
do not lie opened and unguarded : God has made a hedge about them. 
What he does for the safety of his people must be effectual. Therefore 
the church says, " Save me, and I shall be saved ; for thou art my praise." 



596 MOKNING EXEKCISES. 

His power is almighty ; and he saveth by his right hand them that put 
their trust in him from them that rise up against them. He keeps them 
as the apple of the eye. He that keepeth Israel never slumbers nor 
sleeps. Lest any hurt them, says he, I will keep them night and day. 
But how far does this hedge extend ? It reaches to his estate, his busi- 
ness, his dwelling-place, his family, his reputation, his body, his soul. 
"Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and 
about all that he hath on every side ?" 

But here it may be asked, How does this subject harmonize with ob- 
servation and experience? Do not his people sometimes suffer losses 
and injuries as well as others? We must distinguish between their 
spiritual and their temporal condition. With regard to the former, 
their security is absolute ; they are kept by the power of God through 
faith unto salvation. But as to the latter, their preservation is condi- 
tional. It is never absolutely promised ; and the reason is, because it 
is not essential to their welfare. Yea, sometimes the removal of a tem- 
poral good is a greater blessing than the continuance of it, and is even 
indispensable to some higher advantage. But with regard to every 
injury or loss in their temporal interests, there are two things which 
should always be remembered, and they ought to be sufficient to set their 
hearts at rest. The one is, that the loss or injury is entirely under the 
divine permission. Nothing can touch a hair of their head without 
leave from their heavenly Father. Satan could do nothing against 
Peter till he had "desired to have him, that he might sift him as 
wheat." And so here. Satan walked around this hedge, and peeped 
through, and stood tiptoe to look over with envy and malice, but could 
not reach to touch his body, no, nor even one of his servants or sheep, 
till God, for the trial of Job, allowed him. The other is, that the per- 
mission is always invariably regulated by the wisdom and goodness of 
their God, who loves them infinitely better than they love themselves. 
He that spared not his own Son, will withhold no good thing from 
them. He does not afflict willingly ; but every trial he employs has a 
purpose to serve that will evince, in due time, even the kindness of the 
dispensation, and enable the sufferers to acknowledge with praise, It is 
good for me that I have been afflicted. 

Let his people therefore hearken unto him, and dwell safely, and be 
in quiet from the fear of evil. 



DECEMBER 7. 
"And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him." Luke 9 : 42. 

Feaeful of losing his prey, hating to have him cured, and wishing 
to prevent the display of the Saviour's goodness and power, he could 
not indeed really hinder the deliverance, but he did what he could. 

There is no coming to our Saviour now as persons came in the days 
of his flesh. He is no more in the world as to his bodily presence. 
Yet we may come to him spiritually, by faith and prayer ; and in the 



DECEMBER T. 597 

sufferings of this patient, we have an emblem of what we may meet with 
as we are approaching. We can never seek him in vain ; but our case 
may seem worse before relief arrives. We may be thrown down and 
torn in the way. God saw the affliction of Israel, and resolved to save 
them ; but before they left Egypt, their bondage was more sorely felt ; 
and as soon as they had escaped, Pharaoh pursued them, and hemmed 
them in. As long as people remain regardless of Christ, the enemy 
keeps them in peace ; but when they begin to inquire in earnest after 
him, then commences the conflict ; and this is the language of many an 
applicant as " he is a coming," " my God, my soul is cast down 
within me." 

Some of his difficulties and discouragements may arise from the 
opposition of friends and relations. Marvel not, said the Saviour, if 
the world hate you. We have no reason to believe our religion is the 
religion of the Bible if it be palatable to the taste of carnal minds. 
How often, as soon as a man becomes decided, is he had in derision of 
all around him, and like one mocked of his neighbor. And is it not 
trying to proceed in a course that will break up connections otherwise 
agreeable, and draw upon him their sneer or their laugh, their ridicule 
or their menaces? Yet he must go forth to him without the camp, 
bearing his reproach. And he ought to rejoice that he is counted wor- 
thy to suffer shame for his name. But every thing cannot be expected 
at first. The trial is greater when a man's foes are those of his own 
house ; when the persecution comes from those he loves, and ought even 
to obey, only in the Lord. But the trial is greatest, at least to a grate- 
ful and ingenuous mind, when the persecution results not from violence 
and threatenings, but from kindness and entreaties and tears. Yet 
through all this he must press. " He that loveth father or mother more 
than me, is not worthy of me ; and he that forsaketh not all that he 
hath, cannot be my disciple." 

Sometimes the coming soul has difficulties arising from ignorance of 
the method of salvation. These indeed will not remain long when the 
heart is brought into a proper state, and the man cries, What must I do 
to be saved ? But some are alarmed before they are enlightened ; as a 
person may be awakened in the dark, and not know which way to flee 
from the evil ; or as a patient may be sensible of the danger of his dis- 
ease before he knows the physician or the remedy. Some have not had 
parents who taught them the truth as it is in Jesus ; and they have no 
access to evangelical preaching, and they are not blessed with such 
Christian companions as can guide their feet into the path of peace. 
What wonder, therefore, if such for a while should betake themselves — 
for something in such cases will be done, they cannot sit still — to im- 
proper expedients, and self-righteous means of relief? For all legalists 
are not of the same kind. Some are such from disposition ; and these 
are the bitterest adversaries of the gospel, and the presentation of the 
truth to them only draws forth their enmity. But others are such from 
want of better information only ; and when they find the light, they 



598 MORNING EXERCISES. 

rejoice in it. " This is what my soul was following hard after. that 
I had known it earlier ; and instead of working like a slave, had be- 
lieved on Him that justifieth the ungodly ; and instead of attempting to 
build up a wretched shelter of my own, I had only fled for refuge to the 
hope set before me." 

Allied to this is another discouragement the coming sinner feels, 
springing from doubts and fears when he does perceive the way, and is 
informed that there is salvation in no other. Pressed down with such 
a sense of his unworthiness, and with such views of the number and 
heinousness of his sins as he never had before, he is ready to conclude 
that such immense blessings cannot be for Aim, and that his claiming 
them would be no better than presumption. Let not such a desponding 
soul refuse to be comforted. Let him ask, What recommendation had 
Manasseh? Where am I excluded from hope ? Does he not say, Look 
unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth ? If I have nothing 
with which to purchase, am I not invited to " buy without money, and 
without price?" 

An apprehension, too, of the arduous duties of the Christian life is 
frequently very dismaying. The Scripture tells him that this life is a 
building and a warfare — a very expensive building, and a very awful 
warfare ; and enjoins him, before he begins, to count the cost of the 
one, and the resources of the other. He does this, and feels himself 
perfectly inadequate to both. And so he may feel, and ought to feel ; 
for when he is poor, then he is rich ; and when he is weak, then he is 
strong. But fear not, says the Saviour ; for I am with thee. My grace 
is sufficient for thee. As thy days, so shall thy strength be. " Even 
the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly 
fall : but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ; they 
shall mount up with wings as eagles ; they shall run, and not be weary ; 
and they shall walk, and not faint." 

Finally, there are things among the professors of religion which 
often perplex and scandalize young converts. Such are the diversities 
of opinion among them ; and such their alienation from each other, be- 
cause of their little distinctions ; and such the falls of some, and the 
backslidings of others. Older and wiser Christians know how to ac- 
count for all this without shaking their faith and hope, though it is 
always grievous even to them ; but the weak find them stumbling-blocks, 
over which they often fall. For which reason, the apostle says to the 
believing Hebrews, " Lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble 
knees ; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame 
be turned out of the way : but let it rather be healed." 

Two things must now be fixed in the mind. The one is, that what- 
ever would impede our coming to Christ, is from Satan, and should be 
resisted accordingly. The other is, that whatever difficulties we may 
encounter, come to him we must. It is not a matter of indifference. 
It is the one thing needful ; we perish without it. " Ye will not come 
unto me that ye might have life." 



DECEMBER 8. 599 



DECEMBER 8, 






" If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities." 
2 Cor. 11 : 30. 

We may consider these infirmities under two classes. 

First, as outward and natural. Thus they include bodily weak- 
nesses and indispositions. Some, by reason of a healthful and firm 
constitution, know little of these infirmities, and can scarcely sympa- 
thize with those who are the subjects of them. But Paul was no 
stranger to them. " I was with you," says he to the Corinthians, " in 
weakness, in fear, and in much trembling." They also include all other 
external afflictions, whatever lowers a man's condition and weakens 
him in the opinion of the world, who always judge after outward ap- 
pearances. If it were necessary to prove this, we might refer to the 
apostle's sufferings, as recorded in the preceding verses, and to which 
he obviously alludes ; and also to what he immediately subjoins as an 
illustration, in his escape from Damascus by the wall in a basket, and 
the thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him ; ending with 
his noble avowal, "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in re- 
proaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake ; 
for when I am weak, then am I strong." 

There is something wonderful in this. For all these things are 
viewed as disadvantages, and give rise to emotions of grief and shame, 
rather than of joy and glory. People glory in their beauty, not in their 
deformity ; in their strength, not in their weakness ; in their dignity, 
not in their meanness ; in their praise, not in their disgrace ; in their 
successes, not in their 1 disappointments. But Paul says, "If I must 
needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities." 
Let us make a distinction here. Absolutely considered, these things 
are evils in themselves, and it does not become a Christian to pray for 
them, or go out of his way to meet with them. But when he is called 
to suffer them according to the will of God, he should remember that 
there are purposes to be answered by them which render them relatively 
valuable and excellent. If medicine be regarded only as to its taste, 
we say it is offensive, and we should decline it ; but when the necessity 
and usefulness of it are perceived, and we think of the health to be 
restored, and the life to be prolonged by it, we not only consent to take 
it, but even thankfully pay for the otherwise disagreeable remedy. 
"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous ; 
nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness 
unto them which are exercised thereby." So it is here : Paul glories 
in things which concern his infirmities. "What are these? We may 
consider them as preservatives or preventions. Thus, when Israel 
was going astray after her lovers, says God, " I will hedge up her way 
with thorns, and make a wall that she shall not be able to find her 
paths." And as restorers : thus David says, " Before I was afflicted, I 
went astray ; but now have I kept thy word." I was sick ; he bled me 



600 MORNING EXERCISES. 

and I recovered. And as probations, to evince and display the reality 
and degree of our religion, the tenderness of God's care, the supports 
of his grace, and the truth of his word. Of this quality were Job's suf- 
ferings. And as preparatives for usefulness here, and heaven hereafter. 
How these views of faith are sufficient to alter our estimate of the dis- 
pensation, and to change our feelings under it. 

But, secondly, we may consider these infirmities as inward and spir- 
itual. Thus they comprise all those weaknesses and deficiencies of 
grace under which the best now labor, and which lead them to pray, 
" Strengthen, God, that which thou hast wrought for us." Something 
is wanting in their faith, hope, courage, patience, and spiritual under- 
standing. Even Paul could say, I have not attained ; I am not already 
perfect. But are not these infirmities matter of humiliation, rather 
than of glorying ? Yes : and the believer blushes and groans over 
them. Nor will an apprehension of his security reconcile him to his 
remaining imperfections. Yea, a persuasion of God's constant love 
towards him will induce him the more to bewail them. Yet there are 
things which concern these infirmities for which he feels thankful, and 
in which he rejoices. Four of these may be mentioned. 

First, the means of grace are things which concern our infirmities. 
They are rendered necessary by them, and are designed to relieve them. 
In heaven they are laid aside ; there they are needless. But the Chris- 
tian now cries, Send us help from the sanctuary, and strengthen us out 
of Zion. And by waiting upon the Lord he renews his strength. 

Secondly, the promises are things which concern our infirmities. 
" To him that hath shall be given." "As thy days, so shall thy strength 
be." " The righteous shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean 
hands shall wax stronger and stronger." When we read all this, let 
the weak say, I am strong. But for these assurances we must despond ; 
but now we read, and go on ; read, and fight on ; read, and suffer on. 
We rejoice at his word as one that findeth great spoil. 

Thirdly, the influences of the Spirit are things which concern our 
infirmities. How is a Christian to live or walk? He lives in the 
Spirit, and walks in the Spirit. How does he pray? In the Holy 
Ghost. "The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not 
what we should pray for as we ought ; but the Spirit itself maketh 
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He 
that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, be- 
cause he maketh intercession for the saints, according to the will of 
God." Observe the ground of the apostle's hope with regard to him- 
self, in the issue of all his sufferings : " I know that this shall turn to 
my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus 
Christ." And with him there is a rich abundance, and in him all ful- 
ness dwells, and to him we have always a free and invited access. 

Fourthly, the last thing that concerns our infirmities is the removal 
of them by death. A certain removal ; a removal nigh at hand ; an en- 
tire removal. Every one of them will be done away with, and for ever. 



DECEMBER 9. 601 

DECEMBER 9. 

"lama burden to myself." Job 7 : 20. 

And perhaps this is not all — perhaps you are a burden to others 
also. 

But we will leave this, and inquire whether you are a burden to 
yourself. We may put the complaint into the mouth of four classes. 

It is sometimes the language of the afflicted. Thus it was the excla- 
mation of Job. We talk of trouble. He could say, "Behold, and see 
if ever there was sorrow like unto my sorrow." Read the affecting 
relation, dwell on all the dismal items, and wonder not that he should 
say, "lama burden to myself." If we cannot approve of the strength 
of his complaint, we hardly know how to condemn it. God himself 
overlooks it, and only holds him forth as an example of patience. All 
sufferers cannot indeed say truly as he did, " My stroke is heavier than 
my groaning." Yet the heart's bitterness is known only to itself. We 
cannot determine the pressure of another's mind under suffering ; for 
the feeling of affliction may be actually much greater than we should 
have supposed from the degree of it. But afflictions may be great in 
themselves from their number and frequency, and suddenness and sub- 
ject. Is this thy case? Yield not to impatience and despondency. 
Such afflictions have often introduced a train of mercies, and the valley 
of Achor has been a door of hope. How many in heaven, how many on 
earth are now thanking God for their trials. He knows how to de- 
liver. Say, " Lord, I am oppressed ; undertake for me." " Cast thy 
burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee." 

It is sometimes the language of the disengaged and idle. None so 
little enjoy life, and are such burdens to themselves, as those who have 
nothing to do ; for 

" A want of occupation is not rest ; 
A mind quite vacant is a mind distressed." 

Such a man is out of God's order, and opposing his obvious design in 
the faculties he has given him, and the condition in which he has placed 
him. Nothing, therefore, is promised in the Scripture to the indolent. 
Take the indolent with regard to exertion. What indecision j what 
delay ; what reluctance ; what apprehension ! " The slothful man saith, 
There is a lion without ; I shall be slain in the streets." " The way of 
a slothful man is as a hedge of thorns : but the way of the righteous is 
made plain." Take him with regard to health. What sluggishness of 
circulation ; what depression of spirits ; what dulness of appetite ; what 
enervation of frame ! Take him with regard to temper and enjoyment. 
Who is pettish and fretful ? Who feels wanton and childish cravings ? 
Who is too soft to bear any of the hardships of life ? Who broods over 
every little vexation and inconvenience ? Who not only increases real, 
but conjures up imaginary evils, and gets no sympathy from any one in 
either ? Who feels time wearisome and irksome ? Who is devoured 



602 MORNING EXERCISES. 

by ennui and spleen ? Who oppresses others with their company, and 
their questions, and censorious talk? The active only have the true 
relish of life. He who knows not what it is to labor, knows not what 
it is to enjoy. Recreation is only valuable as it unbends us ; the idle 
know nothing of it. It is exertion that renders rest delightful, and 
sleep sweet and undisturbed. That the happiness of life depends on 
the regular prosecution of some laudable purpose or lawful calling 
which engages, helps, and enlivens all our powers, let those bear wit- 
ness who, after spending years in active usefulness, retire to enjoy them- 
selves. Prayers should always be offered up for their servants and 
wives, and for themselves too. They are a burden to themselves. 

It is the language of the wicked. Not always, indeed ; but much 
oftener than they are willing to own. It may not come from them in 
the circle of their companions, but it is sighed out in private, when the 
charm of amusement has ceased, and conscience tries to be heard. They 
may pretend — for hypocrisy is not confined to religion — to be peaceful, 
but they know that one thought of God is sufficient to destroy all the 
calm. They may profess to admire the world, but they know it affords 
them no satisfaction. They know they return jaded from all their ex- 
cursions of avarice, ambition, and sensuality ; still asking, Who will show 
us any good ? They know that in this uncertain state they are always 
trembling for the idols of their hearts ; that they look for no support 
in trouble, and dread the approach of death, to the fear of which they 
are all their lifetime subject to bondage. Sin and sorrow are insepa- 
rable. God himself has told us that the way of transgressors is hard, 
and that there is no peace to the wicked. Many sins bring their own 
punishments along with them. Envy is the rottenness of the bones. 
" Pride is restless as the wind." What a torment is the spirit of re- 
venge. What must be the apprehension of the thief, and the terror of 
the murderer ? What the remorse of a villain who has seduced a fellow- 
creature from the path of virtue, and made her ignominious and wretched 
for life ? What the feelings of a drunkard, who has ruined his business, 
and covered his wife and children with rags ? How often does the sin- 
ner become the contempt of the neighborhood. How often does he con- 
tract infirmities and diseases which lie down with him in the dust. Yes ; 
he may well say, I am a burden to myself; and to get rid of the intol- 
erable load, he not rarely lays violent hands upon himself, saying, with 
Cain, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 

It may be the language of the godly. We mean, not only or princi- 
pally as they are afflicted — then they would coincide with the first class 
of complainants. Many indeed are the afflictions of the righteous, and 
they are not required to be insensible under them. But there are things 
which they feel more painfully than outward trouble : the temptations 
of Satan ; a world lying in wickedness ; the imperfections of their 
graces ; the remains of corruption within them ; wanderings in duty ; 
an evil heart of unbelief; distrust of their best Friend; the grievings 
of his Holy Spirit. Another cannot enter into all this ; it requires the 



DECEMBER 10. 603 

feelings of a renewed mind: but this induces the believer to say, "I 
loathe it, I would not live always." wretched man that I am! said 
Paul ; who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? 

Is there any relief? The very experience is a token for good. 
Your case is not peculiar. All your brethren, while in this tabernacle, 
groan too, being burdened. You will not be a burden to yourself 
always. You now say, Behold, I am vile : wherefore I abhor myself in* 
dust and ashes. But you will soon be reconciled to yourselves without 
pride. Your knowledge will be without obscurity, your services with- 
out imperfection, your pleasure without pain. And He who is now 
keeping you from falling, will present you faultless before the presence 
of his glory with exceeding joy. 



DECEMBER 10. 

"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day." Rev. 1 : 10. 

This proves how early, among Christians, one day in the week was 
distinguished from the rest. And it is obvious, that the day thus dis- 
tinguished was the first day of the week ; for no other is ever styled 
" the Lord's day " in the New Testament, or by any of the ancient writ- 
ers. It is called "the Lord's -day," not only by way of distinction, but 
excellency : being appropriated to his service, and consecrated to his 
honor, as the day of his resurrection from the tlead, and of entering 
into his rest from the works of redemption. 

To be in the Spirit often signifies to be inspired, or to receive com- 
munications immediately from God ; and it is certain that John was 
thus honored. But the phrase may be used in reference to a spirituality 
of mind : and doubtless John experienced this also ; and it prepared 
him for the sublime discoveries he was favored with. Though miracles 
have ceased, the Spirit is still given in his ordinary influences ; and if 
any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. We are 
required to pray in the Holy Ghost ; to worship God in the Spirit ; to 
live and walk in the Spirit. Hence the common notion of our being in 
the Spirit on the Lord's day is perfectly scriptural. But we must dis- 
tinguish between our being in the Spirit, and the Spirit being in us. 
The latter denotes the reality of his influence, the former the abundance. 
Thus we say, a man is in love, or in liquor, or in a passion, to intimate 
that he is entirely seized and governed by it. We are not only to pos- 
sess the Spirit, but to be possessed by it. " Be ye filled with the Spirit." 
It is not enough for us to be in a spiritual state, we must be also in a 
spiritual frame. 

We must not, however, confine the import of this expression as some 
do. They never think of their being in the Spirit on the Lord's day 
but when they are relieved, comforted, delighted. We love feeling in 
religion, but religious feelings are many and various. It is desirable to 
pass the Sabbath in liveliness, liberty, and joy ; and we read of the 
Spirit of life, and of a free Spirit, and of the comforts of the Holy 



604 MORNING EXERCISES. 

Ghost. But a mournful Sabbath may be a very profitable one : and we 
are never more in the Spirit than when we are deeply sensible of our 
unworthiness, and exclaim, at the foot of the cross, Behold, I am vile ; 
and hunger and thirst after righteousness. For is he not the Spirit of 
truth ; the convincer of sin ; the Spirit of grace and of supplication ? 
And does he not lead us to look upon Him whom we have pierced, and 
to mourn for him ? 

Who does not know by experience that the day and the Spirit are 
not always thus united? Who has not had Sabbaths devoid of all 
proper religious affections? This should be a matter of deep humilia- 
tion. How piercing should be the thought of a lost Sabbath — lost, 
never to return — lost, yet to be accounted for ! But what is a dull 
and formal attendance on the services of the season without those influ- 
ences which the day requires, and is in itself adapted to produce? 

As the richest Sabbath, with regard to means and ordinances, may 
be passed without the Spirit, so we may be in the Spirit on the Lord's 
day when the day is attended with few or none of these advantages. 
Was it not thus with the beloved disciple? Oh, there are Sabbaths 
when every thing is attractive; when we go to the house of God in 
company ; when our eyes see our teachers ; when our ears hear the joy- 
ful sound of salvation by grace. But John's Sabbath was a day of suf- 
fering, of privation, of exile, of solitude in a desert isle, 

" "Where the sound of the church-going bell 
Those rocks and those valleys ne'er heard, 
Never sighed at the sound of a knell, 
Or smiled when a Sabbath appeared." 

But heaven was opened unto him, and perhaps he never had such a Sab- 
bath on earth before. A Christian may never be less alone than when 
alone. His consolations may equal, yea, exceed his sufferings. While 
his body is fettered, his soul may range in all the glorious liberty of the 
sons of God. 

Yes, you may be in the Spirit on the Lord's day when denied the 
privileges of the sanctuary. If you keep away from indifference, or 
indolence, or to save expense when you have the ability to procure ac- 
commodation, or from any of those excuses which detain you from noth- 
ing else, you have no reason to expect the divine sanction. But some- 
times travelling, even on the Lord's day, by land or by water, may be 
unavoidable. Or accident, or disease, or infirmity, or age, may confine 
you. In which case, the Lord will not despise his prisoners. And they 
shall know the blessedness of those whose strength is in him, and in 
whose hearts are the ways of them. It is better to want opportunity 
and power than the will, when we serve Him who looketh at the heart. 
Nothing can be a substitute for him, but he is a substitute for every 
thing. And he is always accessible. And " if ye, being evil, know how 
to give good things unto your children, how much more shall your heav- 
enly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him ?" 



DECEMBER 11. 605 



DECEMBER 11. 

"And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends." Job 
42:10. 

Job was once the greatest man in the East. But he was stripped 
of every thing except life, and became, as a sufferer, proverbial for ever. 
How long his calamities continued we cannot determine. At length, 
however, the shadow of death was turned into the morning. His 
troubles were all removed, his losses all repaired, and his latter end 
blessed more than his beginning. Hence says the apostle James, " Ye 
have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord ; 
that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." 

His state of affliction is called " his captivity." Did then the Chal- 
deans and Sabeans, when they robbed him, make him also a prisoner ? 
The term is metaphorical. Yet there is a striking reality as the foun- 
dation of it. By the permission of Providence, Satan for a while had 
him in his possession, to go as far as he pleased in destroying his sub- 
stance and afflicting his body. In consequence of this, a troop of woes 
seized him ; and his feet, as he said, were made fast in the stocks. 
David also expresses himself much in the same way : " Bring my soul 
out of prison." He despiseth not his prisoners. A state of affliction 
is not only unpleasant, but confining. Losses in property abridge a 
man of his former excursions of pleasure, and curtail his entertainments. 
Sickness arrests a man, and leads him away from company and business, 
and confines him to a bed of languishing. It detains a good man from 
the sanctuary ; and when he thinks of his former freedom and privi- 
leges, he pours out his soul in him ; for he had gone to the house of God 
with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy day. 

His deliverance was of the Lord : "The Lord turned again his cap- 
tivity." " He that is our God, is the God of salvation : and unto God 
the Lord belong the issues from death." Some ascribe their deliver- 
ances to chance ; some, to the favor of their fellow-creatures ; some, to 
their own wisdom and care : but this is no better than idolatry. Faith 
will lead us to see and acknowledge the agency of God's hand, what- 
ever means may have been employed. And till God command deliv- 
erance, vain is the help of man. "Behold, he breaketh down, and 
it cannot be built again : he shutteth up a man, and there can be no 
opening." But he knows how to deliver ; and when his time is come, 
he not only can, but he will make a way for our escape. " Therefore," 
says the church, "I will look unto the Lord ; I will wait for the God of 
my salvation : my God will hear me." 

But it is peculiarly worthy of our remark, that the deliverance was 
accomplished "when he prayed for his friends." These friends had 
acted a very unkind part. They had not only mistaken his* case, but 
charged him with hypocrisy, and loaded him with reproach. This was 
no easy thing to bear. He labors to convince them, but in vain. Yet 



606 MORNING EXERCISES. 

he felt no resentment, but even prayed for them. This is the best thing 
we can do in such cases. It will keep us more than any thing else from 
the effects of unhallowed passion, and enable us to comply with the 
command, " Love your enemies." We cannot love them as we love oth- 
ers, but if we can sincerely pray for them, it is a proof that we love 
them in the sense of the injunction. 

But we here see not only the forgiving temper of Job, but the effi- 
cacy of prayer. As it is said, The Lord turned again his captivity 
when he prayed for his friends, it would seem that the deliverance com- 
menced while he was engaged in the exercise. This is no unusual thing, 
for says God, " While they call I will answer." But if it did not take 
place in the exercise, it followed immediately after. And thus it affords 
a proof that he is a God hearing prayer. Thus it encourages us to 
come to the throne of his grace ; and not only for ourselves, but for 
others also : and not only for their welfare, but our own. Not only 
because it may avail much for them, but also because it may be benefi- 
cial to ourselves. Thus Job's praying not only obtained pardon for 
his friends, but deliverance for himself. And though he had often 
prayed under his afflictions, the prayer honored with his deliverance 
was not a personal, but a relative prayer. 

Let us not forget this, and let us extend it to all other cases of 
beneficence. If we do no good to those who are the objects, we must 
do good to those who are the agents. It cannot be in vain, with regard 
to ourselves. Our prayer, if not successful, will return into our own 
bosom, and leave a blessing behind it. "Into whatsoever house ye 
enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be 
there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you 
again." 

DECEMBER 12. 

"And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the 
sepulchre." Matt. 27 : 61. 

While upon the cross He hung, 

The Marys near him stayed ; 
And when from the tree released, 

Beheld where he was laid : 
Fearless to the place they ran ; 

All their hope was buried there ; 
And, with grief and wonder, sat 

Before the sepulchre. 

Love it was detained them here , 

And sacred was the spot ; 
Soon the scene revived their faith, 

And memory ne'er forgot. 
From the crowd I glad withdraw, 

And with them, to muse I 'm come ; 
And prefer, to Eden's bliss, 

One tear at such a tomb. 



DECEMBER 13. 607 

Here, within this grave, now sleeps 

The best, the only Friend ; 
Here the lips of truth are sealed, 

And mercy's journeys end. 
Here the light, the life of men 

Is early quenched and dead — 
How deserveless now appear 

All other tears I 've shed. 

Ah, how low his sacred head 

Reposes here for me ! 
And how deep, though once so rich, 

Is now his poverty ! 
Naught of earth, in life or death, 

His own he ever knew : 
Borrowed was his place of birth, 

His grave was borrowed too. 

But what terrors seize my frame ! 

A trembling shakes the ground ; 
And the door, though thrice secured, 

Is now wide open found : 
On the stone the angel sits, 

And frowns the guards to flight ; 
Yet his looks and words to me 

Speak safety and delight. 

" He thou seekest is not here : 
Come, view his lonely bed ; 
And with haste go tell his friends, 

He 's risen from the dead." 
As I go, himself I meet : 

. " All hail," he greeting cries ; 
" I have crushed sin, death, and hell, 
And opened paradise. 

" I 'm alive for evermore : 

And all that mourn with thee, 
Like myself their Head, shall live 

For evermore with me." 
'T is enough — in every state 

This truth my hope revives ; 
And should every comfort die, 

I know my Saviour lives. 






DECEMBER 13. 

" And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and 
in all judgment." Phil. 1 : 9. 

According to this prayer, there is nothing in which we should 
abound more than love. It is the fulfilling of the law, the end of the 
gospel commandment, the bond of perfectness. Without it, whatever 
be our attainments, professions, or sacrifices, we are nothing. 

Yet we are to abound in it wisely. This is not found in all religious 
characters. In one we perceive zeal ; in another, discretion. One is 
clear, but cold ; another is warm, but inconsiderate. If we could meet 



608 MORNING EXERCISES. 

with an individual who, in his experience and practice, blended these 
qualities — who had the heart as well as the head, and the head as well 
as the heart of the Christian, he would be the prayer of the apostle ful- 
filled : " I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in know- 
ledge and in all judgment." 

Our love does not thus abound when we do not distinguish between 
what is supreme and what is subordinate. There are things in religion 
which are essential, and things which are only circumstantial. Am I 
to lay as much stress upon the latter as upon the former ? Is the form 
of the railing of a bridge to be compared with the foundation of the 
buttresses, or the keystones of the arch ? Is the finger, though useful, 
of the same importance to the continuance of life as the heart and the 
lungs ? What is an article about church government, or the mode of 
administering an ordinance, compared with the doctrine of justification 
by faith, or redemption by the blood of Christ? I venerate a man who 
is all diligence to convert sinners from the error of their way, and save 
souls from death ; but I cannot feel the same towards the zealot of big- 
otry, whose aim is to make proselytes to his own peculiarities, and who 
regards his community not as a part, but as a party. 

Persons may not be judicious in their devotional exercises. By the 
frequency of public attendances, they may exclude or abridge the duties 
of the family or the closet. They may so lengthen out the worship at 
the domestic altar as to produce, in children and servants, weariness 
and aversion. Persons may hazard their health by going forth under 
bodily indisposition, forgetting that God requires mercy, and not sac- 
rifice ; and when He deprives us of the ability, he accepts the ready 
mind. 

Nor does our love abound in knowledge and in all judgment when 
it carries us out of our own places and stations to be useful. Grace 
always gives us the desire to do good, but Providence must furnish the 
opportunities. We are not to be unruly, or break the ranks, as the 
word is, but to march orderly, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. The 
Lord puts us where we ought to be, and enjoins us to abide in our call- 
ing. There are, indeed, occasional deviations from this rule, but they 
are exceptions, and must be justified by their own circumstances. When 
Saul's courtiers reflected upon the shepherd of Bethlehem as a restless, 
ambitious young man, who wished to struggle out of obscurity into pub- 
lic life, he was conscious that he followed only the providence of God, 
and could make this appeal : " Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine 
eyes lofty ; neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things 
too high for me." But there is danger not only of impatience, but 
pride, in all changes attended with the hope of elevation ; and surely 
it becomes a man to consult some one besides himself concerning such 
cases. A man, by acting unlawfully, may do good ; but the result does 
not justify the means. Whatever excitements persons may have to act 
irregularly, they are, upon the whole, far more useful by consistency. 
Their example, in the latter, must do good ; but in the former, it may 



DECEMBER 13. 609 

lead astray. I have known men who have been stunned for life by 
striking their head against a pulpit. I have known preachers who 
have neglected their families, and left their children to rove wild in the 
streets or the field, while they were teaching in the villages. I have 
known females' who have disregarded their husbands and household 
affairs, to run unseasonably after favorite ministers. " The wisdom of 
the prudent," says Solomon, " is to understand his way f that is, what 
becomes him to do, whether as a master or a servant, as a father or a 
child, as rich or as poor, in every relation and condition of life. Lord, 
what wilt thou have me to do ? 

Many err much in the discharge of the duties they owe to others. 
Reproof may be more than thrown away, owing to the manner in which 
it is applied. It is done in anger ; but it should flow from the spirit of 
meekness. It is done in public ; but we should tell our neighbor his 
fault alone. We should distinguish also between one disposition and 
another, and become all things to all men, if by any means we may gain 
some. He that winneth souls is wise. "We must therefore walk in wis- 
dom towards them that are without. Wisdom must regulate our dis- 
course. We must know when to* speak, what to speak, how to speak. 
" A word fitly spoken, is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." We 
shall not talk discouragingly before those that are weak in the faith, 
nor perplex them with doubtful disputations. We may give strong 
meat to strong men, but babes require milk. 

We may also err in cases of charity. Since we cannot relieve all 
the necessitous, we must endeavor to ascertain the most proper objects. 
Alms may become immoral by encouraging vice or idleness. Religious 
societies are to be encouraged and supported, but God abhors robbery 
for a burnt-offering. And many an annual printed subscription robs not 
only the tradesman, but the poor. Nothing is to incapacitate us to suc- 
cor the domestic and personal distress which providence itself brings im- 
mediately before us, and by which some sublimely pass to attend public 
meetings. " Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have 
need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth 
the love of God in him ?" 

These are not all the instances in which our love is to abound in 
knowledge and in all judgment. But these are sufficient to show us 
that wisdom is profitable to direct. Wherefore let us not be unwise, 
but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Let us cultivate our 
minds. Let us faithfully review our own conduct, and see where we 
have been mistaken. Let us keep observation alive and awake. Let 
us walk with wise men. Let us be familiar with the holy Scriptures, 
which can furnish us thoroughly unto all good works. Let us often 
read and study the proverbs of Solomon. Let us constantly keep in 
view the life of Jesus, who dealt prudently, and so was exalted and ex- 
tolled, and was very high. Above all, let us seek the Spirit of truth. 
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men 
liberally, and upbraideth not ; and it shall be given him." 

Morn. Exer. 39 



610 MORNING EXERCISES. 

DECEMBER 14. 

" I will say unto God, Do not condemn me." Job 10 : 2. 

He could have resolved on nothing better in his affliction than 
betaking himself to God. It was turning to him that smote him, and 
resembling the child who, when corrected by the mother, always clings 
to her knee. 'We are too fond of taking our complaints to men ; but 

" Were half the breath thus vainly spent, 
To heaven in supplication sent, 
Our cheerful cry would oftener be, 
Hear what the Lord has done for me !" 

If I weep, says Job, "mine eye poureth out tears unto God;' 7 and if I 
speak, " I will say unto God " — 

But what does he say ? " Do not condemn me." Now there was no 
real ground for this fear. There is no condemnation to them that are 
in Christ Jesus. Their sins once pardoned, if sought for, shall never 
be found. And their afflictions, however distressing, have nothing 
penal in them ; they are only like the fire to the gold, and pruning to 
the vine, and medicine to the patient, and correction to the child. We 
are chastened of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the 
world. 

But the language implies that he knew God could charge him with 
guilt enough to condemn him, if he should deal with him after his de- 
sert. And every child of God feels this. In reviewing even the most 
innocent periods of his life, and the devoutest services in which he was 
ever engaged, he exclaims, " Enter not into judgment with thy servant, 
Lord ; for in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified." 

It shows us also, that a child of God is prone to fear the displeasure 
of God in his afflictions. The people of the world — as we see in the 
case of the barbarians with regard to Paul's viper, and the caution of 
our Lord with regard to the men on whom the tower of Siloam fell — 
deem their fellow-creatures sinners because they suffer such things. 
And though we are much more disposed to judge others by this errone- 
ous rule than ourselves, yet there is something in calamity, says Madame 
de Stael, that tends to make all minds superstitious. We would rather 
say, that tends to revive the remembrance of a moral providence, and 
the belief of a connection between sin and punishment. And this is 
more the case when afflictions are sudden and unlooked for, and great 
and repeated, or have any thing that looks peculiar in them. And even 
good minds have not been able always to resist such impressions and 
conclusions. Gideon said, " If the Lord be with us, why then is all this 
evil befallen us ?" And the pious widow of Zarephath, upon the loss of 
her child, " said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, thou man 
of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to 
slay my son?" The poet tells us, and very truly, "Behind a frowning 
providence, He hides a smiling face f but he does hide it. The frown 






DECEMBER 15. 611 

is visible enough — sense can see this ; but the smile can only be appre- 
hended by faith ; and whose faith is always in exercise ? 

We may also remark, that gracious souls deprecate nothing so much 
as censure from God. Therefore they say unto God, " Do not condemn 
me. To any thing else I bow. But I cannot bear exclusion from thee. 
Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and there is none on earth I desire 
besides thee. Thy loving-kindness is better than life. In thy presence 
all my happiness is placed. Use the rod of a father, but let me not feel 
the sentence of the judge. Correct me, but do not abandon me. Cast 
me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me." 

Nothing can relieve the gloom of a follower of God but the light of 
his countenance. Nothing can make melody in his troubled conscience 
but the sound, " Go in peace ; thy sins be forgiven thee." seek such 
an assurance of divine favor before the evil days come, wherein you 
will say, we have no pleasure in them. If trouble — and man is born to 
trouble as the sparks fly upward : if trouble — and you are not for a mo- 
ment secure — should fall upon you before you have a good hope through 
grace that God is pacified towards you, your condition will be the most 
pitiable. You must either stupefy the mind with Satan's opiates, or 
faint in the day of adversity. 

And let those who have it, preserve and cherish this sense of divine 
favor and acceptance. Beware of grieving the Holy Spirit of God. 
Beware not only of sin, but of the world. Beware of sloth and sleep. 
Christian slept, and lost his roll out of his bosom. And while Saul 
slept, he was deprived of his spear and his cruse. When trouble comes, 
you should not have to seek what, above all things, you want immedi- 
ately to use. Without his smiles, even in prosperity your comforts will 
not cheer you ; but in adversity, without his approbation, how heavily 
will every stroke fall, and how deeply will every wound be felt. 

Let me know always that He is near that justifieth me ; that all is 
well with my soul and for eternity ; that he will support me under my 
burden ; that, though he afflicts me, he loves me, and afflicts me because 
he loves me; and I will say, "Here I am: let him do what seemeth 
him good." 

DECEMBER 15. 

" The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them." Rev. 7:17. 

The Lamb. This is an appellation given the Lord Jesus for two 
reasons : the one alluding to his personal qualities, such as purity, inno- 
cency, gentleness, meekness, patience — for he was led as a lamb to the 
slaughter ; the other, in reference to the design of his death. Abel 
offered to God a firstling of the flock. Familiar with the use of such a 
victim, Isaac asked, " Where is the lamb for a burnt-offering ?" Under 
the law, a lamb was offered every morning and every evening ; and on 
the Sabbath-day, two were offered in the morning, and two in the even- 
ing. There was also the paschal lamb, whose blood was sprinkled, and 
whose flesh was eaten at the deliverance of the Jews from the destroy- 



612 MORNING EXERCISES. 

ing angel. And " Christ, our passover," says Paul, " is sacrificed for 
us." And John cried, " Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the 
sin of the world !" And it is worthy of our observation, that the name 
is applied to him not only in his abasement, but in his exaltation ; and 
that no less than twenty-eight times he is called the Lamb in this book 
of the Kevelation. 

His glory is much spoken of in the Scripture, but never in stronger 
language .than here : " The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne" — 
a station of dignity, dominion, government, full supremacy. Surely, if 
the sacred writers intended to intimate that he was a mere creature 
only, they have expressed themselves in a manner very unguarded and 
ensnaring. Well, there he is, not only near the throne, but in it, and 
in the midst of it, in spite of all opposition. Let his enemies tremble, 
and beware. They may make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb will 
overcome them, for he is King of kings and Lord of lords. But let his 
followers boldly profess him. Why should they be ashamed of a leader 
that is in the midst of the throne ; and why do they not rejoice in his 
salvation ? Surely they must, if they love him ; for love always exults 
in the prosperity of its object. Surely every feeling of their heart must 
prompt the desire ; " and blessed be his glorious name for ever ; and 
let the whole earth be filled with his glory." Well, there he is, in the 
possession of all power in heaven and in earth ; able to save them, to 
preserve them, to make all things work together for their good. 

And as is his greatness, so is his condescension and kindness. The 
Lamb that is in the midst of the throne " shall feed them." The im- 
agery is pastoral. His people are held forth as sheep, and he performs 
the office of a shepherd. His concern with them begins here. He 
seeks after them when lost. He brings them to his fold. He furnishes 
them with supplies. They can rely on the extensiveness of his care, 
and the continuance of it, and may individually say, " The Lord is my 
shepherd ; I shall not want." 

" While he affords his aid, 

I cannot yield to fear : 

Though I should walk through Death's dark shade, 

My Shepherd 's with me there." 

Nor is this all. When they shall come out of great tribulation, and 
have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the 
Lamb ; when they shall be before the throne, and serve him day and 
night in his temple, then, even then he shall feed them — not, as now, by 
ministers and ordinances, but immediately ; not, as now, in the wilder- 
ness, but in the heavenly Canaan ; not, as now, surrounded with ene- 
mies, but where all shall be quietness and assurance for ever. The 
Lamb shall feed them. He shall be the dispenser and the source of 
their happiness. It will flow from his presence and communications. 
Therefore Paul desired to depart, to be with Christ, which was far bet- 
ter. " He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall 
hunger no more, neither thirst any more ; neither shall the sun light on 



DECEMBER 16. 613 

them, nor any heat : for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne 
shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters ; 
and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." 

This is the representation of heaven which poor Burns says he could 
never read from a child without tears. Oh, let me not admire the 
description only, but seek after the enjoyment of the blessedness. The 
language is pathetic, and the scenery is inviting ; but is the subject 
itself more interesting than either? I must be made meet for the in- 
heritance of the saints in light. I cannot hope to attain hereafter what 
I do not desire and delight in now. A natural man may long for a 
heaven of release from toil and pain. Do I, my soul, prize a heaven 
of which Christ is all in all ? 



DECEMBER 16. 

"And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened 
his hand in God." 1 Sam. 23 : 16. 

We here see, in the experience of David, that the most eminent of 
God's people may need encouragement. He was now dejected and dis- 
mayed. And we learn from his complaints in the book of Psalms, that 
he was frequently the subject of depression. And to which of the saints 
recorded in the Scripture can we turn whose hands never hung down, 
whose knees never trembled ? These we are prone to consider as pecul- 
iar in their religious attainments ; but they also were only enlightened 
and sanctified in part. They also had in them nature as well as grace. 
They, too, were men of. like passions with us, and compassed with in- 
firmities. All those perfect beings now before the throne were previ- 
ously in a vale of tears, the spirit indeed willing, but the flesh weak ; 
sometimes rejoicing in God their Saviour, but sometimes saying, " I am 
cast out of his sight." 

In the conduct of" Jonathan, we see the duty of real friendship. A 
friend is born for adversity ; and " to him that is afflicted, pity should 
be shown from his friend." This, however, is not always the case. 
Many pretenders fail when the day of trial comes ; and he who relied 
upon their attendance and sympathy and succor in trouble, finds his 
confidence, as Solomon expresses it, " like a broken tooth, or a foot out 
of joint." Yet let us not say, in our haste, All men are liars. See 
Jonathan, a young prince, surrounded with every indulgence, undertak- 
ing, without application, to repair to David, to see and serve his friend 
at the hazard of his life. 

In the relief derived from this visit, we learn the advantage of pious 
intercourse. " Come," said Jonathan, " Come, David, remember God's 
promise. Is it not faithful and true ? Think of the anointing oil Sam- 
uel poured upon thy head. Can this be in vain? Who enabled thee to 
conquer Goliath? Who delivered thee from the paw of the lion and 
the bear? He can turn the shadow of death into the morning. He 
saveth by his right hand them that put their trust in him, from them 



614 MORNING EXERCISES. 

that rise up against them. He keeps them as the apple of the eye. 
Encourage thyself in the Lord thy God." 

The address availed. "He strengthened his hand in God." We 
have a similar instance in the experience of Paul. He had appealed 
unto Caesar, and was now approaching the scene of his trial, and his 
heart was cast down within him ; but the brethren from Rome came 
down as far as Appii Forum to meet him, "whom when Paul saw, he 
thanked God, and took courage." " Two are better than one ; because 
they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will 
lift up his fellow : but woe to him that is alone when he falleth ; for he 
hath not another to lift him up." Who, when dull, has not found a Chris- 
tian visitor a quickening spirit ? " As iron sharpeneth iron, so doth 
the countenance of a man his friend." Who, in sadness and gloom, has 
not found refreshment and delight from godly communion ? " Ointment 
and perfume rejoice the heart ; so doth the sweetness of a man's friend 
by hearty counsel." Who, like Hagar, has not sometimes been ready 
to expire with thirst, till some minister has opened his eyes, and shown 
him a well ? 

And who does not perceive, in the strange circumstances of this con- 
solation, that God can never be at a loss to comfort his followers ? He 
knows not only how to deliver the godly out of temptation, but to 
cheer them in it. He is called the God of all comfort. David was 
now in a state of concealment. Of the few that were with him, no one 
perhaps knew the state of his mind; for good men, from their regard 
for the honor of religion, are not always at liberty to lay open many of 
their distressful feelings. But his God knew what he now suffered, and 
what his frame of mind required. And what was the instrument he 
employed ? Jonathan : " Saul's son," as it is added, and wisely added; 
the son of David's bitterest foe. The son, too, that was interested in 
David's destruction. He was the heir apparent ; and he comforts the 
man who was going to fill a throne which, by the law of succession, be- 
longed to himself. How wonderful was this ! How obviously the work 
of God ! All hearts are in his hand, and he can turn them as he pleases. 
It is he that gives us favor in the eyes of others ; and he can raise us up 
helpers and friends as unlikely to aid us as the ravens were to feed 
Elijah. Many a situation also the most improbable has been made, by 
his communications, none other but the house of God and the gate of 
heaven ; and filled with surprise, we have exclaimed, with Jacob, " Surely 
God is in this place, and I knew it not." When are we inaccessible to 
him? " From the end of the earth," said David, " will I cry unto thee 
when my heart is overwhelmed." And no wonder ; he remembered 
that Jonathan Saul's son arose, and came to him into the wood, and 
strengthened his hand in God. Did he never come to you in a similar 
condition? "They shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in 
the woods." " I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and 
speak comfortably unto her. And I will give her her vineyards from 
thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope." 



DECEMBER It. 615 



DECEMBER 17. 

" And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee witherso- 
ever thou goest. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the 
air have nests ; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Matt. 8 :19, 20. 

The god of this world deludes his followers. He conceals from 
them every difficulty and danger to which they are exposed in his ser- 
vice, and raises in them expectations which he knows will never be ful- 
filled. Like Jael, he welcomes in and spreads the couch, and brings 
forth butter in a lordly dish, but keeps out of sight the hammer and the 
nails. Take a man whose object is to gain a name, to become a leader, 
and to draw away disciples after him : he courts popularity ; he flat- 
ters ; he employs any means, and he accommodates himself to every 
disposition, as far as he can without risking discovery. But it was far 
otherwise with the founder of Christianity. His character was as origi- 
nal as it was excellent. His kingdom was not of this world. His pro- 
fessed object was, to instruct and save and bless ; and no selfish aim was 
hidden under it. He showed, in his own person, how little his follow- 
ers were to mind earthly things ; and in dealing with those who came 
to him, we see that it was not his concern to draw unprincipled crowds 
into his train. He would form a peculiar people, who should be actuated 
by the noblest convictions and purposes. He therefore, in order to dis- 
criminate, applied a test. He warned them to sit down first and count 
the cost ; and assured them at once, that if any man would be his disci- 
ple, he must deny himself, and take up his cross, and forsake all that he 
had. 

Our Lord now " saw great multitudes about him," so that "he gave 
commandment to depart unto the other side." But as, in the midst of 
all these, he was stepping towards the ship, " a certain scribe came, and 
said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest." A 
noble resolution, if it had been from a good motive. But he appre- 
hended our Saviour to be a^emporal Messiah, who, as he appeared able, 
from his miracles, to carry every thing before him, would soon have pro- 
motions at his disposal ; and he hoped to gain some of the loaves and 
fishes. Our Lord well knew his thoughts, and said unto him, "The 
foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests ; but the Son of 
man hath not where to lay his head." What say you now ? It is easy to 
determine what would have been his reply if he had been sincere and 
earnest in his application. " Lord, I come, not to prescribe, but to re- 
sign myself entirely to thee. Every thing appears to me less than noth- 
ing and vanity, compared with the salvation of my soul ; and if by any 
means I can attain it, I shall be satisfied. Whatever, dear and useful as I 
have deemed it, I cannot retain in following thee, I cheerfully give up. 
All I fear is, separation from thyself. Entreat me not to leave thee, nor 
to return from following after thee. Lord, I will follow thee to prison 
and to death." But alas, his mean and mercenary temper was now de- 



616 MORNING EXERCISES. 

tected. We hear no more of him ; he left him, having loved this pres- 
ent world. 

But the narrative is recorded for our admonition ; and the fact, 
which by way of trial our Saviour addressed to this pretender, is wor- 
thy of our attention. It is very affecting and instructive ; it is the indi- 
gence of Jesus appearing in the homelessness of his condition. This, 
as a part, is put for the whole of his abasement ; and it is held forth 
enhanced by contrast. The inferior creatures have dwellings conven- 
ient for them, in which they secure themselves, and enjoy repose, and 
breed up their young. Some of these man takes as inmates under his 
own roof; such are the faithful dog, and the feathered songster in the 
cage. He furnishes also shelter as well as provender for his cattle. 
But animals that live at large have also accommodations suited to their 
kinds. "Foxes have holes." "The young lions gather themselves 
together, and lay them down in their. dens." "The high hills are a 
refuge for the goats, and the rocks for the conies." " The spider taketh 
hold with her hand, and is in king's palaces." "The birds of the air 
have nests." The eagle mounts up, and in rocks inaccessible "maketh 
her nest on high." " As for the stork, the fir-trees are her house." 
Some build on the ground ; some in dense thickets ; some in boughs 
depending over the flood ; some in isles secured by water. Some re- 
pair to the habitations of men : there the sparrow finds a house, and the 
swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young. And who, in all 
this, can help admiring the wisdom and kindness of Providence? "His 
tender mercies are over all his works." As he made all, so he careth 
for them. He giveth them their meat in due season. He furnishes 
them with their powers of defence or flight ; and actuates the skill they 
display in all their surprising economies. And will he disregard his 
rational offspring? He teacheth them more than the beasts of the 
earth, and maketh them wiser than the fowls of the air. There is a 
spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him under- 
standing. How superior is reason to instinct. How boundless in 
improvement is human ingenuity. What abodes has it provided for us ; 
and with what conveniences, comforts, pleasures has it replenished 
them. From hence springs the idea of home. We cleave to a place 
where we received our birth, passed the days of infancy, indulged in 
the sports of youth — where sleep has refreshed our wearied bodies, and 
where we have smiled at the descending storm and the piercing cold. 

" Home is 

The loved retreat of peace and plenty ; where, 
Supporting and supported, polished friends 
And dear relations meet, and mingle into bliss." 

Well may the same poet represent the man returning at eve, buried in 
the drifted snow, as " stung with the thoughts of home." 

A homeless condition, therefore, is the most pitiable. And was this 
the condition of the Lord Jesus? Not absolutely. During his private 
life he lived with Joseph and Mary, at Nazareth. And after he entered 



DECEMBER 18. 617 

on his public ministry, lie had friends who, like Martha, gladly afforded 
him the accommodations of their own dwellings. But these advantages 
were occasional, and were of the nature of hospitality. He never pos- 
sessed a habitation or an apartment he could call his own. He was 
born in another man's house, and this was a stable ; and he was laid in 
a manger. How often, when my children were about me, have I said, 
while viewing my sleeping babe, 

" How much better thou art attended 
Than the Son of God could be, 
When from heaven he descended, 
And became a child like thee. 

Soft and easy is thy cradle — 

Coarse and hard the Saviour lay. 
When his birthplace was a stable, 

And his softest bed was hay." 

How soon was he driven an infant exile into Egypt. Widows minis- 
tered unto him of their substance. Wearied with his journey, he sat on 
the well, and said to the woman, Give me drink. A fish furnished him 
with money to pay the temple tribute. One night he slept in a fishing- 
boat ; another he continued all night in prayer in a mountain. We 
read only once of his riding, though he went about doing good ; and 
this was upon a borrowed ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. He par- 
took of the last passover in a borrowed chamber : he was wrapped in 
linen not his own, when taken down from the cross ; and was buried in 
another man's garden, and another man's tomb. What does all this 
teach us ? 



DECEMBER 18. 

"And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; 
but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Matt. 8 : 20. 

The fact is affecting ; but is it not instructive too? 

We may take from it a standard by which to judge of the age and 
country in which he appeared. Nothing reflects more upon a people 
than suffering characters distinguished by the greatest goodness and 
usefulness to want. It will always be a reproach to the Corinthian 
converts that they allowed such a man as Paul, while preaching and 
working miracles among them, to work night and day at tent-making. 
But we love and commend the Philippians, who. once and again, when 
he was in Thessalonica, sent to his necessity. Surely we should have 
said, men will reverence God's Son. At his coming, nobles and princes 
will offer their mansions and palaces. What preparations are made to 
receive a superior ; yet the honor of the visit is deemed a recompense 
for the trouble and expense. But He was in the world, and the world 
was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came to his own, 
and his own received him not. What is man ? Let Judea furnish an 
answer. See the Lord of all, the friend of misery, possessed of every 



618 MORNING EXERCISES. 

moral perfection, the image of the invisible God, yet not having 
" where to lay his head I" But is human nature the same now ? Some 
censure others, and think well of themselves merely because they have 
not been tried by the same circumstances. " Oh, had we been living 
there, he should not have been destitute of any accommodation we 
could have yielded him." Yet you follow the multitude, and the 
reproach of a name will keep you from owning his truth, and you are 
backward in giving in the support of his cause. But by the disposition 
which you exercise towards his gospel and house and ministers and 
members, he judges of your attachment or indifference to himself. He 
that receiveth you, receiveth me. " Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of 
the least of these my brethren, ye did it not to me." Depart. 

Pause and admire the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, how that 
" though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we through 
his poverty might be rich." Do not imagine that he did not feel his 
condition. He was really a partaker of flesh and blood, and knew the 
sensations of hunger and weariness and cold as well as any other man. 
But the conveniences and comforts which he required he often found 
not. Think of his preaching and travelling all the livelong day, and 
at night not having where to lay his head ! The sensibility of his con- 
dition was enhanced by his former state of dignity and enjoyment. We 
are therefore more affected when we see a prince reduced, than when we 
behold an individual suffering who was always indigent. Jesus was 
higher than the kings of the earth, and had given them all their thrones. 
Heaven had been his dwelling-place, and all the angels his attendants, 
and adorers too. What condescension was here! Let us remember 
that he made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of 
a servant. There was no compulsion: it was all voluntary; not for 
himself, but for us. And did we deserve such an interposition, such an 
expensiveness of sacrifice for our comfort? We were viler than the 
earth ; we were enemies by wicked works. Yet he never repented of his 
engagement, but said, as he was entering all this. abasement, Lo, I come ; 
I delight to do thy will. And as his agony approached, he said, "I have 
a baptism to be baptized with ; and how am I straitened till it be 
accomplished." It was therefore, as the apostle calls it, Grace — grace 
the most free and unparalleled. And shall not this love, which passeth 
knowledge, fix our minds and fill our hearts? Where is our gratitude, 
unless we are willing to deny ourselves for him, and to walk worthy of 
such a divine benefactor unto all well-pleasing ? The lower he descended 
to save me, the higher shall he rise in my esteem for ever. He is always 
and altogether lovely ; but never so adorable as when his face is marred 
more than any man's, and he has not where to lay his head. 

Let us also learn not to judge of worth by external advantages. 
True greatness is personal, and does not depend on power, titles, or 
wealth. Is a man the more valued of God because he has a larger 
field or a longer purse than his neighbor ? Does it give him more virtue, 
or understanding? A fool, a child of the devil, may be set on the high 



DECEMBER 19. 619 

places of the earth ; while the apostles were hungry and naked, and the 
Son of God had not where to lay his head. While we view him who is 
higher than the heavens in such an estate, let us learn the vanity of 
worldly distinctions. Let us see how absurd it is to be vain of a fine 
house, and splendid furniture, or any of the meanness of the pride of life. 
Let us despise ourselves, if we have esteemed a man the more for the 
gold ring and gay clothing, or regarded the poor the less because he 
is poor ; and remember, that if we had lived in Judea, we should have 
courted Pontius Pilate, and shunned Jesus Christ. 

Let the Lord's poor take this truth and apply it, to produce resigna- 
tion .under the privations of life. You talk of penury, but he icas poor. 
You have many a comfort you can call your own, but he had not a place 
where to lay his head. But allowing that your trials were much greater 
than they are/ remember this is not your rest, and you are rich in faith, 
and have the honor of conformity to the Lord Jesus. You only know 
the fellowship of his sufferings. Is it not enough that the servant be as 
his Master, and the disciple as his Lord? Can the common soldier 
complain when he sees the commander-in-chief sharing the same hard- 
ships with himself? 

Let it lead us to rejoice in the Saviour's present condition. He that 
descended is the same also that ascended. He who was crowned with 
thorns, is crowned with glory and honor. He who had not where to lay 
his head, has all power in heaven and in earth. How delightful is this 
assurance to those who love him, for love glories in the exaltation of 
its object. It is also interesting to their hopes. They are one with 
•him ; and because he lives, they shall live also. 



DECEMBER 19. 

"I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me : behold Philistia, 
and Tyre, with Ethiopia ; this man was born there. And of Zion it shall be said, This 
and that man was born in her." Psa. 87 : 4, 5. 

The Jews, partly from their ignorance and partly from their aver- 
sion to Christianity, strangely pervert this passage. They contend that 
it is designed to intimate that while other places would produce only 
now and then a man of note, Jerusalem should abound with all kinds of 
illustrious characters. But the meaning is this : Zion, in whose name 
the writer speaks, is foretelling the vocation of the Gentiles ; and view- 
ing with ecstasy the accessions that should be made to her of such as 
should be saved. 

Observe to whom she addresses the intelligence : " I will make men- 
tion to them that know me ;" that is, to her friends and acquaintances. 
To such it is natural for us to divulge any thing that is interesting and 
delightful, as they are likely to receive it without envy, and to partake 
of the pleasure. In the parable, the shepherd having succeeded in his 
search, not only rejoices himself, but when he cometh home, calls 
together his neighbors and friends, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, 



620 MORNING EXERCISES. 

for I have found my sheep which was lost. The church well knew the 
mind -of the godly, that they would not only understand such news, but 
that it would be to them like cold water to a thirsty soul, or as life 
from the dead. Thus, in the Acts, when the brethren were informed 
of the extension of the gospel to the Gentiles, "they glorified God, say- 
ing, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." 

Observe the places from which these additions should come. " I will 
make mention to them that know me of Rahab and Babylon : behold 
Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia" These are parts put for the whole of 
the gentile world, and they are very strikingly put, for all these had 
been strangers or enemies. Some of them had been her bitterest perse- 
cutors and vilest oppressors. They were all at this time lying in wick- 
edness, enveloped in ignorance, and enslaved to idolatry. But they 
should cast away their idols, and beholding the glory of the church, 
abandon their enmity, and take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, 
saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. 
One should say, I am the Lord's ; and another should call himself by 
the name of Jacob ; and another should subscribe with his hand unto 
the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel. 

Mark the change they should experience. " This man was born there. 
And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her." They 
were born naturally in Egypt, Philistia, Tyre, and Babylon ; but they 
were to be born morally in Zion, by the word and Spirit of God. They 
should become new creatures ; they should undergo such a conversion in 
their minds and hearts and lives as should constitute a new birth. For 
every subject of divine grace is " born again." And this is properly 
the date of our existence. We have not lived a moment longer than we 
have lived " the life of God." " Ye must be born again." 

By this, therefore, we are to judge whether we are children of Zion, 
and may rejoice in her King. If we have experienced this change, we 
are written among the living in Jerusalem. We are enrolled, and 
though once aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, we shall be re- 
garded as citizens, and have all the honor and advantages of natives. 
li The Lord shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man 
was born there." 

It was formerly deemed a most enviable privilege to be the free of 
some royal and distinguished city. But what was a citizen of Babylon or 
of Rome, compared with a denizen of mount Zion, the city of the living 
God, the heavenly Jerusalem ? Yea, were you an apostle, considered 
only officially — could you prophesy, and work miracles, and raise the 
dead ; and the Saviour met you, elated with your endowments, he 
would say, " In this rejoice not ; but rather rejoice that your names are 
written in heaven." 



DECEMBER 20. 621 

DECEMBER 20. 

" What think ye, that he will not come to the feast ?" John 11 : 56. 

This was the language of many of the Jews who had ascended from 
the country to Jerusalem to purify themselves against the Passover. It 
is not easy, or perhaps possible, to determine the principle from which 
the words were uttered. Perhaps malice uttered them, and they came 
from persons who wished to discover and apprehend him ; for " both 
the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if 
any man knew where he were, he should show it, that they might take 
him." Perhaps curiosity uttered them, and they came from persons 
who were anxious to see whether he had courage enough to appear in 
public after the threatening of the rulers. Besides this, he was a very 
extraordinary character, the fame of whose miracles and preaching had 
spread far and wide, and they naturally desired to see a personage of 
whom they had heard so much. Perhaps affection uttered them. For 
though he was generally despised and rejected of men, there were some 
who knew his value, and believed him to be the only begotten of the 
Father, full of grace and truth. They therefore longed for the pleasure 
and honor and advantage of an interview with him at the approaching 
solemnity. And this is the principle from which, if partakers of divine 
grace, we are seeking for Jesus. " For Christ our passover," says the 
apostle, " is sacrificed for us. Let us therefore keep the feast." And 
it is in reference to the communion of his body and blood, to which we 
are going to repair, that we issue the inquiry, " What think ye, that he 
will not come to the feast ?" 

This is above every thing desirable. Ordinances are not beneficial 
necessarily and of themselves. They derive all their excellency and 
influence from him. A truth we learn not only from Scripture, but 
experience. What a difference, as to light and life and joy, do we feel 
in the same ordinance when he is absent or present. This is nothing 
to a formalist. He is satisfied with the outward signs and the service 
itself; but as to the Christian, intercourse with Christ is the one thing 
needful. He feels it pleasing to hold communion with the saints, but 
what he principally wants is fellowship with the Saviour. He alone 
can fill them all, and without him they would have nothing for each 
other or for themselves. 

But the inquiry implies doubt. Doubt has two aspects and bear- 
ings, the unlikely and the probable ; the one exciting fear, and the 
other encouraging hope. Let us look at each. 

What is there then to awaken our suspicion and fear that he will 
not be at the feast? And is there not much every way? Without 
going back to our unconverted days, how have we lived since we have 
made a profession of his name ? Have we walked as those who are not 
of the world? Have we borne his corrections without murmuring? 
Have we been grateful under his mercies ? Has he lived in our warm- 
est thoughts ? Has he been the chief theme of our conversation ? Have 



622 MORNING EXERCISES. 

we not frequently been ashamed of his cause ? Have we recommended 
him earnestly to others ? After all this, how can we expect that he will 
honor us with his company ? Should we thus honor any fellow-creature 
who had treated us as we have treated him ? But the cause of alarm 
is increased when we consider not only our conduct at large, but our 
behavior towards him with regard to this very feast itself. Have we not 
suffered trifling excuses to keep us away when he has been there wait- 
ing for us, but waiting in vain ? Have we not approached it with the 
indifference of custom and formality, though angels were there, intensely 
desiring to look into these things? Have we not passed through the 
divine memorials, mystically eating the flesh and drinking the blood of 
the Son of God, with the exercise of no more faith in his death, or love 
to our brethren, than in an ordinary meal? We need not go on. 
blessed Jesus, when we consider all this, and this only, wc may well 
question whether thou wilt ever meet with us again. 

But let us look at the other side. Let us see not only what there 
is to excite fear, but to encourage hope. Now, to induce us to conclude 
that he will be at the feast, we have his character, his disposition. 
" His heart is made of tenderness ; his bowels melt with love." " A 
bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, 
till he send forth judgment unto victory." We have his past dealings 
with us. He has tried us, but not forsaken us. We have been often 
cast down, but never cast off. We have his promise, " Where two or 
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of 
them." In a word, we are sure of the blessing if we seek it : " What- 
soever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be 
glorified in the Son." 

But is it possible to ascertain when he is with us at the feast ? It 
is. As he is not there corporeally, we cannot apprehend him with our 
bodily senses ; but as he is there spiritually, we may apprehend him 
spiritually. They who are new creatures have new senses, which are 
exercised to discern both good and evil. They have ears to hear his 
voice ; they have eyes to see his glory ; they have a holy taste, and 
holy feelings. Thus his people can be sensible of his arrival. Indeed, 
he says, " I am come." He is not inactive when there. " While the 
King sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof." 
There are impressions and effects which cannot be mistaken, owing to 
their holy, humbling, heavenly influence. The assurance he has of com- 
munion with the Lord in his ordinances, is not evidence for others ; but 
to the believer himself it affords satisfaction, and he is neither to be 
ridiculed nor reasoned out of the conviction. He has the witness in 
himself. 



DECEMBER 21. 

" Show me wherefore thou contendest with me." Job 10 : 2. 
A good man perceives and acknowledges the hand of God in his 
afflictions. Job sees God contending with him. Though his sufferings 



DECEMBER 21. 623 

were principally from creatures, he said, " The Lord hath taken away." 
" Thou hast taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces." What- 
ever may form the twigs of the rod, God is the chastiser. He has a 
right to correct, and can never err in using it. To realize this is the 
way not only to prevent despondency, but to repress all murmuring 
passions. This satisfied Eli : " It is the Lord ; let him do what seemeth 
him good." " Oh," says the gardener, as he passes down the walks, 
and is priding himself on the beds and borders which he has so care- 
fully cultivated, " who removed that plant? who gathered this flower?" 
His fellow-servant says, "The master." And he is dumb, and opens 
not his mouth, because he did it. 

Again, God has an end to answer by his contention with us. It is 
not the display of his sovereignty. There is a distinction between be- 
stowing favors and inflicting penalties. If a judge condemneda man 
to show that he was a judge, or a king imprisoned a man to show that 
he was a king, every one would cry out against them ; but they would 
be more than justified in employing such measures for the display of 
justice, and for the advantage of ensample. Paul conveys a degree of 
censure where we should have looked only for tenderness. The fathers 
of our flesh chastened us for a few days after their own pleasure. But 
God, says he, always does it for our profit, that we may be partakers of 
his holiness. Why is the ship in danger? Because Jonah has fled 
from the presence of the Lord, and the wind is sent after him. Why 
does Israel flee before the men of Ai ? There is an Achan in the camp. 
Thus God explains the thing himself: "Behold, the Lord's hand is not 
shortened, that it cannot save ; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot 
hear : but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, 
and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." He 
therefore does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. 
There is some sin indulged, some duty neglected, some idol adored. 
But his aim may be not only to rebuke for actual evil, but to hedge up 
our way with thorns, to keep us from the forbidden ground towards 
which we are advancing, or to prune us as vines, that we may bring 
forth more fruit. 

God alone can discover his own intentions in his rebukes. In doing 
this, we are not to suppose that he will .employ miracles, or speak in an 
audible voice from heaven, or strike by a sudden impulse. He acts in 
a way suited to the nature and improvement of a rational and moral 
being. He may therefore, in showing us his design, use even an enemy. 
When Shimei cursed David, David considered him as much sent of God 
to reprove him as Nathan had been. The will of God may be made 
known by the admonitions of a pious friend, who sees what we over- 
look from habit or self-love. We should therefore be thankful when 
the righteous smite us, and not deem them enemies because they tell us 
the truth. Sometimes the nature and circumstances of the affliction 
itself proclaim the secret, and we can see the cause in the effect, the sin 
in the punishment. The faithful word, read or preached, comes home 



624 MORNING EXERCISES. 

to our case, and conscience cries, Thou art the man. Sometimes the 
difficulty of discovery is great. But if we address ourselves to the 
Father of lights sincerely and . importunately to show us wherefore he 
contendeth with us, we shall not seek in vain. The promise given to 
Jeremiah shall be fulfilled in us : " Call unto me, and I will answer 
thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest 
not." 

And very desirable it is that we should know why he contendeth 
with us. Indeed, a good man cannot be satisfied without it. For while 
the wicked are only anxious to escape from trouble, he wishes to profit 
by it. He desires this knowledge, therefore, not to gratify curiosity, 
but to enable him to justify God in his dispensations, and to know how 
to pray, and to exercise the graces of the condition he is in, and to 
apply to present duty, and that he may confess whatever is wrong, and 
watch against it in future, saying, " Surely it is meet to be said unto 
God, I have borne chastisement ; I will not offend any more. That 
which I see not, teach thou me; if I have done iniquity, I will do no 
more." For there is a tenderness in the conscience of a renewed man 
that readily responds to God. No sooner did our Lord turn and look 
upon Peter, than he went out and wept bitterly. 

As for an unconverted man to ask God in his affliction to show 
wherefore he contends with him, it is absurd. It would defeat the end 
of his suffering, which is not to make him leave a particular sin, but all 
sin, and to draw him into a new course, and a new state. 

But perhaps, though living in sin, you say, God is not contending 
with you. So much the worse. He is saying, " They are joined to 
idols ; let them alone." Though he spares you now, he will deal with 
you hereafter. And the longer the arrear, the severer the reckoning. 
" And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and 
the sinner appear ?" 

DECEMBER 22. 
"And call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable." Isaiah 58 : 13. 

This is to characterize the heirs of an exceediDg great and precious 
promise here subjoined. They are to be known not by their observ- 
ance of the Lord's day only, but by their endeared and exalted regard 
for it. They call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy of the Lord, 
honorable. And what reason they have for this will appear from its 
leading aspects and bearings. 

Let us connect it with the brute creation. Any thing that tends to 
make them happier will be pleasing to a benevolent mind, especially 
since " we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in 
pain," and "was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of 
him who hath subjected the same in hope." Though man is the lord of 
this lower world, and all creatures are put under his dominion, he is 
not to oppress and enslave them. If his power over them be abused, 



DECEMBER 22. 625 

and his tender mercies towards them be cruel, God will resent it. 
These helpless beings are his creatures and his care. I love to hear 
him telling the fretful prophet, as a reason why he spared Nineveh, 
that there were in it not only " more than sixscore thousand persons 
that could not discern between their right hand and their left," but 
" also much cattle." I love to hear him forbidding the Jewish husband- 
man to muzzle the ox while treading out the corn. I love to read the 
tenderness of the fourth commandment, " That thine ox and thine ass 
may rest as well as thou." If the brutes had reason, they would all 
bless God for the Sabbath. 

We may view the Sabbath in reference to the business of life. In 
the sweat of thy brow thou shalt eat bread, till thou return to the dust, 
was the sentence passed upon man for sin ; but in judgment God remem- 
bers mercy. Who could bear incessant application and toil? Some 
change is obviously wanting to unbend the mind and the body. And 
man goes forth to his work and to his labor until the evening, when he 
returns home and retires to rest ; and his sleep is swee^t, whether he 
eats little or much. But this is not all. The Sabbath furnishes a fixed 
pause, a needful relaxation. Those who are in easy circumstances, and 
like the lilies of the field, toil not, neither do they spin, feel little inter- 
est in the Sabbath on this account. But let them think of thousands of 
their fellow-creatures. Let them think of those who, by mental pur- 
suits and professional engagements, get their bread by the sweat of 
the brain. Let them think of those who sit at the loom, stand at the 
forge, work in the field, drudge under ground. What a relief, what a 
privilege is one day in seven felt by them. How dull would be the 
monotony of their time without the break and variety of the Sabbath. 
What a drag would their life be, if they were to carry their loads un- 
loosened even to the grave. But the day of repose returns ; the worn 
laborer lays down his burden, stretches his limbs, refreshes himself by 
cleanliness and change of raiment, and after six days, during which he 
is almost reduced to the brute, on the seventh he feels himself to be a 
man. And 0, ye rigid, if not sanctimonious souls, envy not the sons 
and daughters of drudgery and confinement a little of the fresh air of 
heaven which you, perhaps, can always breathe, nor be too severe with 
those who only once a week can look forth and glance on the beauties 
of nature, the very works, too, of Him who ordained the Sabbath. 

This day also contributes to the harmony of families. The members 
may be much divided and dispersed through the week, and have few or 
slender opportunities of social intercourse. But the Sabbath brings 
them more fully together, and produces and cherishes those feelings 
which endear and unite them relatively, and dispose them by love to 
serve one another. Persons and families are, especially among the 
common people, always unkind and rude and savage, both in their tem- 
per and manners, where the Sabbath is neglected. But they are re- 
spectful and humane and tender where it is observed, because they see 
each other to advantage, and mingle under moral and religious impres- 

Morn. Exer. 40 



626 MORNING EXERCISES. 

sions, which, though not always powerful enough to sanctify, contribute 
to soften and civilize. 

The Sabbath is also a period of devotion and reflection. If we are 
godly, we shall not go through the week without God. Some pious 
thoughts and feelings will blend with all our busy concerns. But week- 
days are, in a sense, worldly ones ; and even our allowed contact with 
earthly things tends to impair our heavenly impressions, and to make 
us forgetful of our highest good. We want a day of retreat from this 
world, that we may think of another, and have opportunities to compare 
the claims of the various objects that court our hearts. We want a day 
of silence from the passions, to consider more deeply the principles and 
motives of religion, and to have excited and carried upward those affec- 
tions which cleave unto the dust. To a man concerned to advance in 
the divine life, how welcome is the return of a day all for his soul and 
eternity, in which, by waiting on the Lord, his strength is renewed, and 
his heart is enlarged, and he obtains fresh preparations to meet the 
temptations, tjie duties, and the troubles of life. 

Again, without the aid of such a day, how would even the face of 
religion be maintained in the community at large? We may learn 
from an enemy. When the French wished to destroy every thing like 
Christianity, they were wise enough to know how much the Sabbath 
stood in their way, and therefore abolished it, and established their 
decades. Let any one imagine the Lord's day given up for a time in 
our own country. The effect would be a thousand times more injurious 
to the interests of piety and morality than all the writings and attempts 
of infidelity. Let this fence of every thing sacred and useful be broken 
down, and what an inundation of ignorance and vice of every kind 
would overspread the land ! It is in the services of this day the rich 
and the great are reminded of their accountableness, their dependence 
on God, and their being only on a level with those below them in their 
origin and end. This they are too prone to forget : but once in the 
week the master is a servant, the king a subject, the judge a criminal 
crying for mercy. And as to the poor and working classes, how little 
time have they for religious exercises but the Sabbath. It is then prin- 
cipally the Bible is taken down from the shelf, and the child, placed 
between the knees, is heard to read it. Then the children of our Sun- 
day-schools cry hosannas in our temples. Then the family goes to the 
house of God in company. Then the poor have the gospel preached 
unto them ; and the common people, unless the preacher misrepresents 
him by his fineness, again hear the Saviour gladly. How, without 
these auxiliaries, would a sense of the divine presence, and the moral 
providence of God, and of a future state, be kept alive in the minds of 
the multitude? Is not all the knowledge of religion thousands possess 
derived from what they read and hear on the Sunday? 

And how impressive and interesting is the Sabbath as the chief pe- 
riod of divine operations. How distinguished will it be in the annals 
of eternity. How many thousands, how many millions on this day have 



DECEMBER 23. 627 

been awakened, enlightened, converted, made new creatures. What 
triumphs has the cross gained over the powers of darkness. What 
noble schemes and enterprises for the glory of God and the welfare of 
mankind, have taken their rise from some impression in the closet, or 
excitement in the church, on this accepted time, this day of salvation. 

Nor is it less delightful and honorable as an emblem of heaven, and 
a preparation for it. Philip Henry would often say, at the close of his 
Sabbath devotions, Well, if this be not heaven, it must be the way to 
it. Yes ; it is then that Christians often feel themselves, like Jacob in 
his vision, at the gate. They have earnests and foretastes of the glory 
to be revealed. Perhaps they are never so willing as then to go. 
Many of them have wished to be released on this day, and many have 
been gratified. But if they do not leave on the earthly Sabbath, they 
enter on the heavenly one. For there remaineth a rest, a sabbatising, 
as the word is, to the people of God. And what an exchange for the 
better. Here we worship with a few ; and these, like ourselves, are 
imperfect. Here we groan, being burdened ; and if we are not weary 
of our divine work, we are soon wearied in it. And when, satisfied with 
favor, and filled with the blessing of the Lore 1 we can say, 

" My willing soul would stay- 
in such a frame as this," 

the world calls us down, and leads us out into its cares and griefs and 
dangers again. Oh, why do we not sing, 

" Thine earthly Sabbaths, Lord, we love ; 
But there 's a nobler rest above : 
To that our lab'ring souls aspire, 
With ardent pangs of strong desire. 

No more fatigue, no more distress, 
Nor sin, nor hell, shall reach the place ; 
No groans to mingle with the songs 
That warble from immortal tongues. 

long expected day, begin ; 
Dawn on these realms of woe and sin : 
Fain would we leave this weary load, 
And sleep in death to rest with God." 



DECEMBER 23. 

" As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there : all my springs are 
in thee." Psa. 87 : 7. 

This is spoken of Zion, and shows us the joy and the attachment of 
her inhabitants. 

The joy is expressed in language according with the forms of service 
in the Jewish worship. They had, in addition to the praises of indi- 
viduals and families, orders of men established expressly for the per- 
formance of psalmody in the temple ; some vocal, and some instru- 
mental; "As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be 



628 MORNING EXERCISES. 

there." The meaning is, that Zion, which the world considers the me- 
tropolis of sadness and gloom, should be the residence of cheerfulness 
and mirth ; or, in other words, that the church of God should abound 
with spiritual joy and gladness. This joy may be considered two ways. 
First, as promised : and so it is to be viewed as a privilege, and we are 
to look after it in the history and experience of his people. And if we 
turn, and this is the fairest way, to those whom God has himself de- 
scribed in his word, we shall find them distinguished by nothing more 
than this experience. They walked in the comforts of the Holy Ghost. 
Though they had losses and afflictions, yet, believing, they rejoiced with 
joy 'unspeakable and full of glory. Secondly, as commanded. Thus 
they are enjoined to shout aloud for joy ; to rejoice in the Lord always ; 
to be filled with the Spirit, speaking to themselves in psalms and hymns 
and spiritual songs ; singing, and making melody in their heart to the 
Lord. And thus it becomes a duty, and as such, we are bound to seek 
and to preserve it ; to study the grounds of it ; to guard against every 
thing that would invade and injure it ; to endeavor by all means to 
increase our joy in the Lord, and never refuse to be comforted. All 
must be singers and players on instruments here. All cannot perform 
equally well, but all must do something, and pray and strive to show 
that the religion of Christ is able to make its possessors happy ; that it 
can set their roving hearts at rest ; that it can enable them to dispense 
with the dissipations of the world ; that it can sustain them under the 
trials of life, and raise them above the fears of death, and thus adorn 
the doctrine of God their Saviour in all things. 

But here is attachment as well as joy : " All my springs are in thee." 
No affection was ever more sincere than that which the pious Jews 
bore to their native land. Jerusalem was the source of their hope and 
glory, the circle and the centre of all the endearments of life. They 
breathed out their very soul when they said, "Peace be within thy 
walls, and prosperity within thy palaces." They deemed nothing too 
dear to be parted with, for its ornament or defence. In its welfare they 
forgot their personal and relative sorrows ; and when it was taken and 
destroyed, they abandoned themselves to grief, hung their harps upon 
the willows, and felt life a burden. Even in its reduced state, they took 
"pleasure in her stones, and favored the dust thereof;" each of them 
sighing, " If I forget thee, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her 
cunning ; let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not 
Jerusalem above my chief joy." And is there less intenseness of re- 
gard in Christians towards Jerusalem which is above, and free, and the 
mother of us all ? No ; all their springs are there : all that refreshes 
me, can each of them say, all that revives, all that enlivens, all that 
inspires — " all my springs are in thee." 

TVhere are all the springs of a worldly man? In the world. To 
all his interests there he is alive ; his heart is glad when his corn and 
wine increase, and his joy fails with them. His losses are the taking 
away of his gods ; and what has he more ? But what is the experience 



DECEMBER 24. 629 

of the Christian? In the word of God, and the ordinances of his 
house, and communion with his people, and the consolations of his Spirit, 
here it is, says he, I find my heaven. If this cannot touch and ani- 
mate him, nothing, for the time, can. On the other hand, this can make 
him joyful even in tribulation. This seems to indemnify him under every 
earthly disappointment. What is it, says he, that my schemes fail, if 
his flourish ? Yea, in spiritual darkness, and when he is ready to con- 
clude that he has no part or lot in the matter, and that his heart can- 
not be right in the sight of God, his countenance is illumined, and the 
tear .of joy starts into his eye when he hears that the word of the Lord 
hath free course and is glorified ; that sinners are fleeing to the Saviour 
as doves to their windows ; that the order to Zion is issued, Enlarge 
the place of thy tent: lengthen her cords, strengthen her stakes. In 
this, says he, I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. And so, when there are 
apostasies and backslidings, and professors cause the way of truth to be 
evil spoken of, he is " sorrowful for the solemn assembly, and the re- 
proach of it is his burden." And his fear as well as his hope, and his 
grief as well as his pleasure, show where the attraction of his heart 
lies. And if any thing is to be done for Zion, he feels a courage that is 
not natural to him. His tongue is as the pen of a ready writer. His 
hand gets suddenly into his pocket, and to his power, yea, and beyond 
his power, he is willing to communicate ; and his zeal, as well as all his 
other feelings, justify his saying, "All my springs are in thee." 



DECEMBER 24. 

" Through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dayspring from on high hath 
visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide 
our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1 : 78, 79. 

Well said David, " What is man, that thou art mindful of him ; and 
the son of man, that thou visitest him?" He does this in a thousand 
ways, and each of us may acknowledge, with Job, " Thou hast granted 
me life and favor, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit." But 
what a visit is here. Twice does Zacharias, under different allusions, 
expressly mention it in his thanksgiving song. " Blessed be the Lord 
God of Israel ; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath 
raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David." 
"Through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dayspring from 
on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in 
the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." 

Observe the image under which he views the coming of the Saviour : 
" The dayspring from on high." The springing of the day is produced, 
and only can be produced, by the rising of the sun. There is only one 
sun in nature, and there is only one Sun in grace. "And to them that 
fear my name," said God by the prophet Malachi, "shall the Sun of 
righteousness arise with healing in his wings." 

See the state in which he finds us : " Sitting in darkness and the 



630 MORNING EXERCISES. 

shadow of death." Darkness is ignorance. Some ignorance is of lit- 
tle importance, but here we are destroyed for lack of knowledge. The 
darkness is connected with the shadow of death — a state of terror and 
danger and nearness to perdition, for the shadow cannot be far from 
the reality. It is not only vain, but injurious to deny the truth of this 
representation. Every thing concurs to prove it. And without the 
admission of it, Christianity must be needless, if not absurd. 

But see the benefit he is designed to communicate : "To give light" 
to them that are in darkness and the shadow of death. Accordingly, 
his coming has shed a lustre upon every subject interesting to our- duty 
and welfare ; so that every individual under the gospel knows far more 
than all the heathen philosophers united, and also far more than the 
most illuminated among the Jews. Hence our Saviour turned unto his 
disciples, and said privately, " Blessed are the eyes which see the things 
that ye see : for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to 
see those things which ye see, and have not seen them ; and to hear 
those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." 

It is therefore called, not only " the true light," but " a great light." 
It has two properties. It is practical. It is " to guide our feet." We 
were " sitting " before — inactive, like persons in the dark, and afraid to 
move ; but when the light comes, we are set in motion. The doctrine 
of Christ is not a mere speculation. He that receives it feels an influ- 
ence resembling that of the orb of day, which is vital as well as enlight- 
ening. He walks in the Spirit ; in the fear of the Lord ; in the truth. 
It is also blessed. It is to guide our feet " into the path of peace." There 
is something very pleasing in the word peace, as it intends reconcilia- 
tion ; and especially reconciliation with God. And God was in Christ 
reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto 
them. And being justified by faith, we have peace with God through 
our Lord Jesus Christ. This peace is essential to every other blessing, 
and every other blessing is sure to follow it. The word, therefore, is 
often used for every kind of good and of happiness. It is finely ex- 
pressed by the apostle, " We who have believed do enter into rest ;" and 
yet more fully by David, "Blessed is the people that know the joyful 
sound : they shall walk, Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In 
thy name shall they rejoice all the day, and in thy righteousness shall 
they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength, and in thy 
favor our horn shall be exalted." 

But what is the source of all this blessedness ? " The tender mercy 
of our God." As we are guilty and condemned creatures, every gift we 
enjoy must be from mercy. This is true of our daily and outward com- 
forts, and therefore Jacob calls them all " mercies," and acknowledges 
that he is not worthy of the "least" of them. How true is it, then, 
that not by works of righteousness which we have done, but by his 
mercy he saved us. Neither are we to imagine that God was made 
merciful by the incarnation and sufferings of Christ. It is from inju- 
dicious representations of this kind that the enemies of the atonement 



DECEMBER 25. 631 

are furnished with their strongest objection. In the Scripture we are 
told that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, 
that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting 
life. What he requires he provides. He would not pardon Job's 
friends but through his intercession. But he prescribed his prayer with 
sacrifice for the very purpose, and accepted it. Thus we are " justified 
freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." 

Let us bless God for this tender mercy. " God is the Lord, which 
has showed us light : bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns 
of the altar." Let us improve the advantages it has afforded us, and 
walk as children of the light. Let us pray that his way be made known 
on earth, and his saving health among all nations. 



DECEMBER 25. 

" And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augus- 
tus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was 
governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph 
also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of Da- 
vid, which is called Bethlehem ; (because he was of the house and lineage of David :) to 
be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that 
while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered." Luke 
2:1-6. 

The birth of Christ is so wonderful and important, that every cir- 
cumstance attending it is worthy of our attention, and capable of 
improvement. We are here informed of the time and the place. 

As to the time, it was under the reign of Augustus. Luke could 
not have distinguished it hy a more illustrious mark than the name of a 
man the greatest prince then in the world, as he governed the Roman 
empire, which had extended itself over the largest and fairest portions 
of the inhabited earth. What is related indefinitely is liable to dis- 
pute and mistake ; whereas particularity tends to gain credence, and 
renders falsehood easier of detection. Hence the evangelist mentions a 
remarkable fact at^nding the period : " It came to pass in those days, 
that there went out a decree from Csesar Augustus, that all the world 
should be taxed ;" and adds, " And this taxing was first made when 
Cyrenius was governor of Syria." Here, however, a difficulty occurs, 
which infidelity, always alive to the worst of causes, and feeling the 
paucity and poverty of its resources, has readily laid hold of. 

It must be granted that Cyrenius, as Josephus and all the Greek and 
Latin historians agree, was not governor of Syria till eleven years 
after. But first, it is supposable that though he was not the actual 
governor, he presided on this occasion by a special commission from 
Augustus. This agrees with the history of the emperor, which shows 
us that, in several instances, he sent his particular friends to superintend 
the enrolment, without leaving it to the care of the ordinary gover- 
nors of the province. Did not David do the same when he wished to 
number the people ? There were rulers over all the tribes of Israel, 



632 MORNING EXERCISES. 

yet lie sent Joab, who went through all the land, and brought him the 
result at the end of nine months and twenty days. Secondly, Dr. Camp- 
bell renders it, " And this enrolment ^r.tf took effect when Cyrenius was 
governor of Syria." Though our version reads "taxing," it is in the 
margin, " enrolling.' 7 There was no difference between these, for though 
the registering was generally with a view to the taxing, yet the latter 
did not always immediately follow the former ; it only laid the founda- 
tion for it, by showing the emperor the number and wealth of his sub- 
jects, whenever he chose to demand soldiers or money. Now though 
the decree for enrolment was issued eleven years before, it was not 
acted upon till Cyrenius was governor of Syria ; and the Roman power, 
on the expulsion of Archelaus from Judea, first levied the tax on the 
Jewish people. We have a similar instance in our own history. Will- 
iam the Conqueror wished to make a survey of the kingdom. This 
was done in what is called the doomsday-book, and which is still extant. 
It was six years in making in England only., and no payment of taxes was 
made upon it till twelve years after. Either of these solutions is per- 
fectly satisfactory, and there is no inconsistency between them ; the one 
does not invalidate the other. And when to this we add, that the fact 
itself was notorious, and that Luke could not be deceived, and must 
have known that he could not be misunderstood at the time, we see 
another instance of the weakness of infidel objections. But Luke men- 
tions this affair not only to authenticate the truth of his narrative, but 
the Messiahship of Christ.' His coming had not only been foretold, but 
the time of it. We allude to the prophetical declaration of the dying 
Jacob. When speaking of Judah, he said, " The sceptre shall not de- 
part from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh 
come ; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." That is, 
when he should come, the supreme power should be dislodged from their 
possession. And here we see the accomplishment of it ; for the supreme 
power had now fallen into the hands of Herod the Idumean, who was 
exercising his vile tyranny under the favor of the Roman sovereign, 
master of Syria and Palestine. t 

The place was Bethlehem. It is called the city of David, because 
there David was born. But the word city, which the Jews use so differ- 
ently from us, should not mislead us. It was only a small village, in 
which nothing had occurred to aggrandize it. Here he was brought 
forth, and not in Jerusalem, or Rome, or any other illustrious place. 
Was this to intimate that his kingdom was not of this world ? What 
cannot ennoble greatness, greatness can ennoble. How has the birth- 
place of the Mantuan bard been noticed. How many cities contended 
for the honor of Homer's birth. The birth of Jesus instantly drew to 
this village a new star, and sages from the East, and the angel of the 
Lord, and a multitude of the heavenly host, and has made it to be 
remembered in all generations. Therefore says the prophet Micah, 
" Thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands 
of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler 



DECEMBER 26. G33 

in Israel ; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." 
That he was to be born here was known and expected, not only by the 
chief priests and scribes, as we see in their answer to Herod, but even 
also by the common people, who argued against him when tjiey sup- 
posed that he was not born there. " Hath not the Scripture said that 
Christ cometh'of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, 
where David was ?" 

But let us not forget the occasion of the event. For it was, humanly 
speaking, the most unlikely thing in the world that Jesus should be 
born here ; for Bethlehem was not the place of Joseph's residence, 
but Nazareth in Galilee. But the decree requiring that every one 
should repair to his own patrimonial city to-be enrolled, Joseph, being 
of the house and lineage of David, goes up from Galilee, out of the 
city of Nazareth in Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Beth- 
lehem, and Mary with him, being great with child. And so it was, that 
while they were there waiting for his registry, the days were accom- 
plished that she should be delivered. Mary thought of nothing but 
accompanying Joseph. Joseph thought of nothing but obeying the 
order of the governor. The governor thought of nothing but the man- 
date of the emperor. The emperor only obeyed his vanity and pride ; 
and yet all these ignorantly but unitedly conduced to fulfil the deter- 
minate counsel and foreknowledge of God. How freely men can act, 
and yet how necessarily ! How real, and yet inexplicable, is the concord 
between human liberty and the certainty of events ! What is contingent 
where divine veracity is concerned? How impossible is it that the 
Scriptures can be broken. How wonderful is the providence of God! 
By what methods does' it conduct its plans to their completion ! How 
easily, and yet how uncontrollably does it bend to its pleasure all the 
dispositions and movements of creatures, who, like men in a boat, look 
one way and row another ! 



DECEMBER 26. 

" And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch 
over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory 
of the Lord shone round about them ; and they were sore afraid." Luke 2 : 8, 9. 

Two classes of men were led to Bethlehem to witness the new-born 
Messiah, the wise men from the East, and the shepherds. The former 
were versed in the works of nature. They were especially astronomers 
and star-gazers, and God conducts them by a star. The latter were 
Jews. They had the Scriptures in their hands, and these were directed 
by an angel. God has various methods of manifesting himself to his 
creatures, but none of them are arbitrary. They all evince his " wisdom 
and prudence," and are adapted to the state and circumstances of the 
beings with whom he has to do. 

Angels are all ministering spirits. And if they attend the heirs of 
salvation, how much more the Author of it. If they wait on the ser- 



634 MORNING EXERCISES. 

vants, how much more on the Son, who is Lord of all. When he bring- 
eth his first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of 
God worship him. He was seen of angels. 

"We might have expected that this glorious messenger would have 
been sent to persons of rank and authority — to the rulers, to the doctors 
of the law, to the ministers of the sanctuary, to Herod, to the high- 
priest. But God's thoughts are not our thoughts. Man judgeth after 
the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh to the heart. He is no 
respecter of persons. The distinctions of life, which, owing to folly, 
are the sources of so much pride to some, and envy to others, are noth- 
ing to Him. He is equally "nigh unto all them that call upon him/' 
whatever be their outward condition, as the sun shines in the valley as 
well as on the hill. It was to these shepherds the angel of the Lord 
appeared. And may not this be considered an intimation of the per- 
sons for whom the dispensation was principally designed, and by whom 
it would be chiefly received? Hence we read, "The poor have the 
gospel preached unto them." " The common people heard him gladly." 
"Have any of the rulers believed on him?" "Thou hast hid these 
things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." 
Not that the rich and great are excluded. And there always have been 
a few who have humbled themselves to be exalted. But "not many 
wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 
God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise ; 
and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the 
things which are mighty ; and base things of the world, and things 
which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, 
to bring to naught. things that are: that no flesh should glory in his 
presence." 

We have much reason to conclude that these shepherds were among 
the number of those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem. 
While many of their countrymen in ceiled houses were seeking their 
consolation in the world, they, like Simeon, were waiting for the Con- 
lation of Israel. Perhaps at this very moment they were silently mus- 
ing, or perhaps conversing with each other — for they were obviously 
together — "when the kingdom of God should come," and sighing out 
the words of David, " that the salvation of Israel were come out of 
Zion ! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob 
shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad." When, "lo, the angel of the 
Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about 
them !" 

And this angel, by his example, teaches us, however much we may 
be placed above them, not to overlook the poor, nor refuse to visit 
them, especially God's poor ; for they are rich in faith, and heirs of the 
kingdom which he has promised to them that love him. It is a charac- 
ter of the citizen of Zion, that in his eyes a vile person is contemned, 
however high ; but he honors them that fear the Lord, though they may 
not have the gold ring and the gay clothing. 






DECEMBER 2?. 635 

The sacred historian has not failed to tell us how these men were 
engaged at the time of their being thus distinguished. They were in 
the field keeping watch over their flock by night.* Thus they were 
abiding in their calling, and faithfully and actively discharging the 
duties of it. Never mind how humble your occupations may be ; 

" Honor and shame from no condition rise : 
Act well your part — there all the merit lies." 

Be attentive and diligent, and you are useful and respectable. They 
ought to blush who do nothing, or have nothing to do. Their mode of 
living is as inconsistent with the life of a Christian required in the gos- 
pel, as a life of vice. The tree that bringeth forth no good fruit is hewn 
down and cast into the fire. The servant that hid his lord's talent in 
a napkin did not abuse it ; but because he was an unprofitable servant, 
he was a wicked one, and therefore punished. The case of these shep- 
herds is not a solitary one. Go through the Scriptures, and make out 
a list of all those whom God favored and dignified with his visits, and 
show me one among them all that was a drone in the community, or 
not properly and usefully employed. Other beings are more likely to 
appear to the useless and idle. " Our idle days," says Bishop Hall, 
" are the devil's busy ones. 77 And Watts says, 

" For Satan finds some mischief still, 
For idle hands to do." 

It was well said by an old Puritan, " I find diligence the best preserva- 
tive from temptation ; for when Satan comes to me with his proposals, 
I say to him, I cannot attend to thee now, I am so busy." 

" The labor of the righteous tendeth to life." " The soul of the 
sluggard desireth, and hath nothing ; but the soul of the diligent shall 
be made fat." 



DECEMBER 27. 

"Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is conic to pass." 
Luke 2 : 15. 

This was the language of the shepherds. And it was not a vain 
curiosity that led them. While keeping their flock by night, the angel 
of the Lord appeared to them, and said, " Fear not ; for, behold, I bring 
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto 
you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ 
the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you : ye shall find the babe 
wrapped in swaddling-clothes, lying in a manger." This they consid- 
ered, as it really was, an order to repair thither, to ascertain and report 
the fact. And they would have set off instantly. But there suddenly 
descended a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 
Glory to God in the highest ; on earth peace, good will towards men. 
We know not how long this melody continued. Yet who can wonder 
at their staying till it was over ? But no sooner were the angels gone 
away into heaven, than " the shepherds said one to another, Let us now 



636 MORNING EXERCISES. 

go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass." 
Let us accompany them, and contemplate a scene which will induce us 
to exclaim, with -Moses, on a very marvellous, but very inferior occa- 
sion, " Ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since 
the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one 
side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing 
as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?" 

In this thing which is come to pass, we behold a very striking dis- 
play of divine truth. The coming of the Messiah was called " The truth 
of God." Many things evince the divine veracity, but this was the 
main pledge. It was the chief promise ever given to man. It was also 
the earliest assurance ; it was given as early as the fall. And what a 
length of time the assurance seemed to hang in suspense. A year, a 
hundred years, a thousand years, another thousand, and another, and 
another rolled away before the Seed of the woman appeared. Hath 
He forgotten to be gracious? Doth his promise fail for evermore? 
But at the end of four thousand years it was proclaimed, His councils 
of old are faithfulness and truth. How many also were what we may 
call the minute parts of the promise. It was foretold that he should 
descend from a particular nation — the. nation of the Jews • a particular 
tribe — the tribe of Judah ; a particular family — the family of David ; a 
particular mother — a virgin. On how many things does the veracity 
of God now depend, the failure of any one of which would prove him a 
liar. The place of his residence was foretold ; it was Bethlehem. The 
prophecy had been recorded for ages, and was acknowledged at the 
time of his birth. But how many things were necessary to this, and 
liow accidental seemed the fulfilment. For Joseph and Mary were re- 
siding at Nazareth. And had not Judea been under the Roman domin- 
ion, and had not Csesar Augustus proudly wished to know the number 
and wealth of his subjects, and had Mary been delivered a few days 
sooner or later, he would have been born elsewhere, and the word of 
God would have been of none effect. All these occurrences appear 
casual, and they were so to the parties themselves, but not to God ; he 
knows all his works from the beginning. All these events seemed 
loosely connected, but they were links making an adamantine chain. 
The truth of God was the pivot on which all turned, the centre in which 
all united, the end to which all referred. Let us see here not only how 
willing, but how able he is to accomplish his word, and be strong in 
faith, giving glory to God. Let no apparent delay, no opposing diffi- 
culties, no interfering interests affect our minds. His purpose is secretly, 
yet uncontrollably moving on, and the most unlikely instruments are 
contributing to its execution. How much depends on our confidence in 
the truth of God. 

We see in the thing which has come to pass a wonderful combination. 
A combination of natures — I admit his humanity ; and why should I 
question his divinity ? I find many things ascribed to him which can- 
not belong to him as God, and I find others ascribed to him which can- 



DECEMBER 2-t. 637 

not pertain to hiin as man ; and here is the solution of the difficulty, 
"God was manifest in the flesh." A combination of grandeur and 
abasement. Whose birth could have been more obscure and degrad- 
ing? What welcome was given him? What preparation was made 
for him? "The world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 
He came unto his own, and his own received him not." A poor young 
female was his mother ; a stable his chamber ; a manger his cradle, 
because there was no room at the inn. But whose birth was ever so 
glorious ? Ye gods of the earth, bring forth your first-born ; but no 
new star sparkles over where the young child is. No wise men come 
miraculously from the East to worship him. No angel comes down. 
No heavenly choir sing his birth. No command is given, Let all the 
angels of God worship him. No spirit of prophecy breathes inspira- 
tion. No Simeon waits for him as the Consolation of Israel. No 
Anna speaks of him to all those who look for redemption. 

We see also a prodigy of benevolence. Every thing says, Behold a 
love that passeth knowledge ! His former condition — he was rich, and 
became poor. His independence and choice — he was not constrained to 
enter such a state. Lo, I come, says he ; he gave his life a ransom for 
us. The principle that moved him — it was not our desert, but his own 
mercy. He came into the world to save sinners ; he died for the un- 
godly ; in his love and pity he redeemed us. His not waiting for our 
application, arising from a sense of our need of him ; his engaging, in 
foresight of all the degree and extent of his sufferings ; his going 
through the whole, without repenting of the expensive undertaking ; 
his accomplishing it with delight. 

Here also we see an example for our imitation. Did he thus despise 
worldly distinctions, and shall we admire them ? Shall we seek great 
things for ourselves ? place such a Christian by the side of the manger. 
Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content. Shall we find 
it difficult to condescend to men of low estate, and to exercise self-denial 
in doing good ? " Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ 
Jesus ; who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be 
equal with God ; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him 
the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." Did he 
not only stoop so low, but suffer so much for us ; and shall we not be 
willing to endure any privations, and incur any sacrifices for our breth- 
ren ? " Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children ; and walk 
in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us, an 
offering and a sacrifice to God, for a sweet-smelling savor." 

Great as this thing is which has come to pass, there are many who 
will refuse to take a step to see it. Even at the very festival which is 
the commemoration of it, they will be found anywhere rather than at 
Bethlehem. They will be attracted to every thing rather than to that 
sight which the shepherds left their flock and made haste to see, which 
the Eastern sages came such a vast distance to behold, and which drew 
all heaven down to earth. Some, while they observe the day by a free- 



638 MORNING EXERCISES. 

dom from labor, not only neglect, but insult the subject of it ; and by 
intemperance and riot, revive the works of the devil, which the Son of 
God was manifested to destroy. 

But let us call off our attention from the little, debasing, vexing, 
defiling things of the world, and repair to the Infant of Bethlehem, the 
Desire of all nations. Let us give him the glory which is due unto his 
holy name, and say, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given : 
and the government shall be upon his shoulder : and his name shall be 
called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, 
the Prince of peace." Let us behold in him provision made for our 
recovery, the most suitable to our wants, and the most adequate to onr 
relief, and placed entirely within our reach. Let us embrace him, and 
exclaim, " Lo, this is our God ; we have waited for him, and he will 
save us : this is the Lord ; we have waited for him : we will be glad, 
and rejoice in his salvation." 

And let our zeal and gratitude be equal to our joy. And let us 
follow the shepherds not only in our going, but in our return. " And 
when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was 
told them concerning the child." "And they returned, glorifying and 
praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen." 



DECEMBER 28. 

" And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and 
ordinances of the Lord blameless." Luke 1:6. 

This worthy couple are known as the father and mother of a very 
illustrious personage, of whom the Judge of all said, "Among them that 
are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Bap- 
tist." But while Zacharias and Elisabeth derive renown from their son, 
they are worthy of attention personally considered. Though not dis- 
tinguished by worldly grandeur, they were great in the sight of the 
Lord ; and though their names are not recorded in the annals of na- 
tional history, their characters will be had in everlasting remembrance 
in the Scriptures of truth. Five things are here said of their piety. 

It was sincere : they were righteous before God. Many are righteous 
before men, who only look on the outward appearance ; but the Lord, 
who searcheth the heart, and sees actions in their motives, disowns 
them. A large assembly may be convened together, and be engaged in 
the same exercises ; but they only worship him who worship him in 
spirit and in truth. What are we in his estimation ? He that judgeth 
us is the Lord. 

It was practical : they walked in the commandments and ordinances of 
the Lord. Divine truth is important ; yet if we know these things, 
happy are we only if we do them. Practice is nothing without prin- 
ciple ; and what proof have we of the reality and excellency of .principle 
without practice? "I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to 
walk in my statutes ; and ye shall keep my judgments and do them." 



DECEMBER 28. 639 

We do not undervalue experience ; but the Scripture requires some- 
thing more than good feelings. " Let your light so shine before men, 
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is 
in heaven." A good conscience will always be accompanied with a 
good conversation. He is a vain man who says he has faith, and hath 
not works. Can such faith save him? 

It was impartial : they walked in all the commandments and ordi- 
nances of the Lord. None are universally wicked. Yices are often 
inconsistent with each other. Prodigality opposes avarice, and covet- 
ousness complains of extravagance. All do something, for conscience 
must be appeased ; but they are determined in their selections by the 
easiness of the thing, or its relation to some one of their interests. 
They have no regard to the will of God ; for if their observance sprang 
from a regard to his pleasure, this would lead them to avoid every thing 
which he has forbidden, and to inquire after every thing he has enjoined. 
" Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy com- 
mandments." 

It was irreproachable : they walked in all the commandments and 
ordinances of the Lord blameless. It is not said they were sinless. The 
subjects of divine grace will always have enough to bewail before God, 
instead of saying, I have attained, I am already perfect. But it is a 
mercy — and this is possible — to be preserved from those falls which 
injure our reputation and influence, and also from those imprudences 
which draw upon a man the reproach of folly or weakness when he is 
not taxable with sin, and from those veerings of opinion which are yet 
consistent with some degree of fixed principle in higher things. It is 
well when our good cannot be evil spoken of, and we are without offence 
till the day of Christ. 

It was mutual : they were both righteous before God, walking in all 
the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. This is not 
the case in every family. In some houses there is no fear of God in 
either master or mistress, father or mother, husband or wife. In others 
there is one of these relations godly, and only one. They who are 
joined together by marriage are not one in the Lord. This difference 
may be accounted for three ways. One of the parties may have been 
called after their affinity, neither of them knowing God at the time of 
contracting it. Or one of the parties may have deceived the other — 
and some are guarded and crafty — and those who are upright them- 
selves are generally free from suspicion. Or the religious individual 
was perhaps — how strange! — careless upon this subject, and did not feel 
religion in his choice the one thing needful, or was bribed, against his 
conviction, by other things. The two former cases deserve pity, but the 
third justifies censure. And his error will correct him. For nothing 
can be more desirable and important than the godliness of both parties. 
How near is the relation! How constant and influential the inter- 
course ! How lamentable, in a course where we need every assistance, 
to meet with impediments ! How can two walk together except they 



640 MORNING EXERCISES. 

be agreed? And are there servants? are there children? Each of the 
superiors will have their adherents ; and it is not difficult to conclude, 
from the depravity of human nature, which will be more readily fol- 
lowed, the one who would lead into the world, or the one who would 
lead out of it. 

But the case would be more awful still, if one of the parties was an 
official character. Surely a Zacharias should have an Elisabeth. What 
disgrace and injury may result from the union of a preacher with an 
irreligious or indiscreet companion. The apostle therefore describes 
the character of a minister's wife as well as of his own, and naturally 
concludes that he who proclaims his want of piety and judgment in a 
case so plain and momentous, tells how unqualified he is for other mat- 
ters. "For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall 
he take care of the church of God ?" 



DECEMBER 29. 

" Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." Job 13 : 15. 

This is a noble resolution. It supposes suffering. Slaying here 
stands for every loss and infliction he could suffer or forebode. Slay- 
ing literally means death, and Job does not exclude this from his sup- 
position. He more than once seems to apprehend it as the consequence 
of his present malady : I know thou wilt bring me to death ; my breath 
is corrupt ; my days are extinct ; the graves are ready for me. Indeed, 
there is not much for him to slay. He has slain my cattle, my servants, 
my children ; he has slain the tenderness of my wife, and the confidence 
of my friends ; he has slain my health, and if there be any thing more, 
let him slay it. I can trust him down to the grave, and through it, for 
I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that in my flesh I shall see God, 
though my reins be consumed within me. 

It professes confidence : " Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" 
It is obvious from hence that he did not think God was really his ene- 
my. If he had, how could he have trusted' in him ? He knew nothing 
of the language of a mystic : " Though I perish, I shall serve thee still. 
If thou send me to hell, I shall love thee there." These are the sayings 
of religious madness ; and one hour of the suffering they make so light 
of, would bring them to the use of their senses. By the very law of my 
nature it is impossible for me to regard a being that I believe deter- 
mined to make me miserable for ever ; and God himself has commanded 
me to seek after my salvation and happiness. I could not, therefore, 
acquiesce in my misery without violating his will. Such a state of sub- 
lime self-annihilation, therefore, is not possible if it were proper ; and 
it is not proper if it were possible. But it is both proper and possible 
to believe that natural evil may be converted into moral good ; that 
bodily pain may conduce to spiritual profit ; that though no chastening 
for the present is joyous, but grievous, it may afterward yield the peace- 
able fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised therewith ; that 



DECEMBER 30. G-il 

behind a frowning providence he may hide a smiling face ; that though 
he amputates a limb, it is to save life : and that, in ways beyond all my 
conceptions, he can, he will make all things work together for good to 
them that love him. And this is what Job means by his confidence. 

But it also intimates difficulty : though he slay me, yet will I trust in 
him. For there is much in searching and awful dispensations to try 
and check confidence, much to awaken suspicion and fear. When things 
are agreeable and prosperous, we feel comparatively little difficulty ; 
but when the scene is changed, and the sky overspread, and the clouds 
return after the rain ; when we are stripped, bereaved, abandoned, then 
we are cast out of his sight, our way is perished from the Lord, and we 
think our eye will no more see good. When troubles befall others, 
we go to them and strengthen their hands in God. We readily deal out 
the promises to them, and feel inclined to reprove if they refuse to be 
comforted. • We tell them God is only waiting to be gracious, and will 
appear to their joy. But when we come into the same condition our- 
selves, we are unable to follow the advice we have given, and to receive 
the encouragements we have administered. Thus we incur the censure, 
" Thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hand ; 
thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strength- 
ened the feeble knees : but now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest ; 
it touchetlrthee, and thou art troubled." Let us no't be too severe with 
people in affliction. To trust God when we know not what he is doing ; 
when he seems to oppose us ; when he presents a sword even to our 
bosom, and we feel its point ; it is then verily no easy thing to hope 
in the Lord, and wait patiently for him. But Job did this. Yea, says 
he, in the midst of every killing providence, though he slay me, yet will 
I trust in him. Let us therefore seek after this confidence in God. 
For, first, there is nothing so honorable to God. Secondly, there is 
nothing so beneficial to ourselves. Thirdly, there is nothing so reason- 
able in itself ; for whatever view we take of God, whether we consider 
his perfections, or his relations, or his promises, or his past dealings 
with others and ourselves, the more we shall be induced to say, " What 
time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." So true is it, they that know his 
name will put their trust in him. 



DECEMBER 30. 
" Are not my days few ?" Job 10 : 20. 

Xot years, months, weeks, but days. Life is to be reckoned by 
days. Are not my days/au ? They are so in every respect : relatively, 
comparatively, absolutely. It will not be necessary to prove this. Xo 
one denies it ; no one can deny it. Yet how much depends upon the 
proper use of a truth so obvious, and a reflection so simple. Are not 
my days few ? 

But how came they so ? All men die, but not willingly. ' : Skin for 
skin, yea, all that a man hath, will he give for his life ;" but he cannot 
continue it. He hates, he dreads death. It is the king of terrors. 

Morn. Exer. 41 



642 MORNING EXERCISES. 

The thought of it imbitters his comforts, and keeps him always subject 
to bondage. And could this have been the natural state of man as he 
came from the hands of his Maker ? The deist meets with this fact as 
well as we ; and as he cannot deny it, let him account for it under th.c 
empire and agency of a being who is "omnipotent benevolence." Rev- 
elation gives us the only rati'onal and convincing account : " The body 
is dead because of sin." " By one man sin entered into the world, and 
death by sin ; and so death hath passed upon all men, because all have 
sinned." It is not " a debt due to nature." It is the consequence of a 
judicial and penal infliction : " For all our days are passed away in thy 
wrath." We are not struck with this, because we are accustomed to 
the result, and it gradually takes place. But could we have seen the 
deluge destroying the whole world at once, we should not have ques- 
tioned the provocation of God by some mighty cause. But where is the 
difference, as to punitive justice, whether all the criminals are executed 
together, or led forth one by one ? Are not my days few ? 

Do not then render them fewer. What, you are ready to exclaim, 
are we in danger of turning self-murderers? Yet how many are con- 
tinually reported as having destroyed themselves. But violence is not 
the only mode of shortening life. One of our most eminent physicians 
has affirmed, that " the board destroys more than the sword." Another 
lias said, " Though all men are mortal, not one in a thousand dies a 
purely natural death." Many enervate themselves by lying late in bed, 
and living, if it deserves the name of life, in lazy inactiveness, as inju- 
rious to health as to virtue. Envy is the rottenness of the bones. Fret- 
fulness and anxiety corrode. Anger and malice consume. It is needless 
to mention intemperance and sensuality, the effects of which so often lie 
down with the sinner in an early grave. Godliness has the promise of 
the life that now is, by freeing us from the malignant passions, which 
are always injurious to ourselves as well as to others, and by inducing 
the affectionate and benevolent ones, which are always beneficial ; by 
the peace it sheds abroad in the bosom, and the hope and confidence it 
authorizes and inspires, as well as by surrounding us with the care of 
Providence. It is, as David calls it, "the health of the countenance," 
and justifies the admonition of his son, "Fear the Lord, and depart from 
evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones." Are 
not my days few ? 

Why, then, moderate your attachment to every thing that depends 
upon their brevity. Who would set their heart on that which is not? 
Who would load with treasure a vessel rotten or full of holes ? All 
the admired distinctions and possessions of the world are very uncer- 
tain in themselves, and often leave us ; but if they continue with us, we 
cannot continue with them. We brought nothing with us into the 
world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. Yet, stripped and 
naked as we shall go, go we must, and the time of our departure is at 
hand. Oh, what shall we think, a few days hence, of those pursuits 
which now so much engross us? " To-morrow we die j" and what will 



DECEMBER 31. 643 

it signify, whether we are carried to the grave from a cottage or a man- 
sion, or leave behind us much or little? Endeavor to think always, 
as you will feel soon. " Brethren, the time is short : it remaineth, that 
both they that have wives be as though they had none ; and they that 
weep, as though they wept not ; and they that rejoice, as though they 
rejoiced not ; and they that buy, as though they possessed not ; and they 
that use this world, as not abusing it ; for the fashion of this world 
passe th away." Are not my days few ? 

Then let us well employ and improve them. This is what Moses 
prayed for : " So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our 
hearts unto wisdom." And what is wisdom? This must be determined 
by circumstances. What is wise conduct in one man may be folly in 
another, because of their different relations and circumstances. But it 
is easy to determine what is wisdom in a man who numbers his days, 
and finds them to be few j and who has, during their continuance, an all- 
important interest to secure, and has no other opportunity. If he is 
guilty, it must be wise in him to seek forgiveness. If he is lost, it must 
be wise in him to seek salvation ; and if he be unable to save himself, 
it must be wise in him to apply to another who is appointed for the 
very purpose. And in our case such a one there is. His name is Jesus. 
He is mighty to save ; he is willing to save. Instead of complaining of 
your application, he only complains of your neglect : Ye will not come 
t'o me, that ye might have life. Many have tried his power and his love, 
and recommended him from their own happy experience. He is now 
on the throne of grace. But he will not be always there. He will soon 
ascend the tribunal of justice. Seek him while he may be found, and 
call upon him while 'he is near. Behold, now is the accepted time ; 
behold, now is the day of salvation. 

This part of our subject branches itself into another line of duty. 
As you are to gain good, so you are to do good, and this, too, is equally 
enforced by the fewness of your days. Life is yours, and it affords you 
one privilege above the saints in light. It is the opportunity of benefi- 
cence — of relieving the poor, of instructing the ignorant, of converting 
the sinner. But remember two things. Their days are few, and there- 
fore they will soon be gone beyond the possibility of receiving relief. 
And your days are few, and you will soon be placed beyond the possi- 
bility of affording it. Wing your zeal, therefore, with the thought, 
" The night cometh, wherein no man can work." 

There is a way of lengthening life. It is not by duration, but by dil- 
igence. It is by "filling our days." It is by doing much business in a 
little time. Some live longer in a week than others do in a year. 



DECEMBER 31. 

"He thanked God, and took courage.'' Acts 28 :15. 

Gratitude and confidence are individually excellent, but their union 
is admirable. They adorn and recommend and aid each other. There 



644 MORNING EXERCISES. 

is no one they so well become as the Christian. And when is he with- 
out cause for both? When has he not, if truth examines his condition, 
a thousand excitements to praise, and. encouragements to hope ? 

It can never be more proper to exercise these than at the interest- 
ing period of the last day of the year, when we are so naturally and 
unavoidably led to think of the past and the future. Let us therefore 
follow the example of Paul when he met the brethren at Appii Forum — 
let us thank God, and take courage. 

What can be more reasonable than to thank God when we review the 
past ? While many have been cut off, and not a few in their sins, we 
have been carried through another year in safety. We have been ex- 
posed to accidents and diseases as well" as they who are now in the dust, 
and our frame has been as delicate and as frail as their frames. But we 
are the living, the living to praise him, as it is this day, and all our 
bones can say, Who is a God like unto thee? While he has holden our 
souls in life, he has also continued our mercies. These mercies have 
been new every morning. Of the least of all these we have been un- 
worthy. And had we been dealt with according to our desert, we 
should have been the most wretched beings on earth. But we have 
been fed at his table, we have been clothed from his wardrobe. We 
have had not only the necessaries, but the comforts and the indulgences 
of life. He has given us richly all things to enjoy. He has made the 
outgoings of our mornings and evenings to rejoice. He has given us 
the succession of the seasons. He has blessed the springing of the 
earth. He has charmed us in the field and in the garden with melody 
and fragrance, and colors and tastes. What relative attachments ; 
what endearments of friendship ; what pleasing interchanges of solitude 
and society, of labor and of rest, have we enjoyed ! 

We have not only to acknowledge private, but public mercies. How 
has he preserved and blessed our country, notwithstanding all our na- 
tional provocations. He has not only blessed us personally, but rela- 
tively. He has been the benefactor of our families and our friends. 
Yea, he has blessed us not only in the kindness of his providence, but 
in the means of grace. We have had our Sabbaths. Our eyes have 
seen our teachers. We have been made joyful in his house of prayer. 
He has fed us with the finest of the wheat, and with oil out of the rock 
has he satisfied us. " Bless the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his 
benefits." 

We have had. trials; but even these, instead of checking gratitude, 
if properly reviewed, will increase it. They have been few, compared 
with our comforts. They have been light, compared with the sufferings 
of others. They have been variously alleviated : in measure, when they 
shot forth, he debated with them ; he stayed his rough wind in the day 
of the east wind. They have all been founded in a regard to our wel- 
fare. They have imbittered sin, and endeared the Scriptures, and the 
throne of grace, and the sympathy of Him who is touched with the feel- 
ing of our infirmities. They have weaned us from the world. They 



DECEMBER 31. 645 

have told us that this is not our rest. They have also assured us that 
he knows how to support and to deliver. Aaron's rod blossomed : so 
shall ours, and yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness. There was 
honey at the end of Jonathan's rod, and there is sweetness at the end of 
ours. Yea, already we can say, " It is good for me that I have been 
afflicted." Surely a gratitude is required on this occasion that will not 
expire in mere acknowledgments, but induce me to dedicate myself to 
his service, and walk before him in newness of life. 

And what can be more reasonable than to take courage when we look 
forward ? We enter, indeed, on the year commencing, not knowing 
what a day may bring forth ; and darkness is apt to gender dread. 
Duties will arise, and we must meet their claims. Afflictions may arise ; 
indeed, they are almost unavoidable. Does not every path of life lead 
through a vale of tears? Is not every thing here uncertain? My 
health may be assailed. My friends may be removed. This year I 
may die. 

But I will pore on this no longer. I will not sour my present mer- 
cies by suspicion, or fear, or anxiety. It is my duty, it is my privilege 
to be careful for nothing, but to cast all my care on Him who careth 
for me. I take courage from liis former dispensations. Has he ever for- 
saken or forgotten me ? " Because he has been my help, therefore under 
the shadow of Ms wings will I rejoice." I take courage from his prov- 
idence. I am not in "a fatherless world." Nothing is left to chance. 
My ways are continually before him, and the very hairs of my head are 
all numbered. I take courage from his power. Nothing is too hard 
for him. He can make even mine enemies to be at peace with me. He 
can render every loss a gain. He can make all things work together 
for my good. I take courage from his promises. They are all faithful- 
ness and truth. And what case do they leave unnoticed, unprovided 
for, from which despondency can spring ? I will therefore trust, and 
not be afraid, but go forward cheerfully with Him who said, I will 
never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 

" Beneath his smiles my heart has lived, 
And part of heaven possessed : 
I praise his name for grace received, 
And trust him for the rest." 



INDEX OF SUBJECTS 



TO 



THE MORNING EXERCISES 



Advantages of inquiry, . . . Deut. 

Adversity useful, Hosea 

Alarm, the, Rom. 

All-sufficient assistance, . . Deut. 

Angelic succor, Luke 

Angel with the shepherds, the, Luke 
Angry disciples reproved, the, Luke 
Apostle glorying, the, ... 2 Cor. 
Attachment to Zion, . . . Psa. 
Ascending Saviour followed, . Luke 



Birth of Jesus, . . . 
Birthday, the, . . . 
Bitter waters healed, the, 
Blessed heritage, the, . 
Blessed people, the, 
Blessed sight, the, . . 
Blessing of faith, the, . 
Blessedness of loving God 
Bloody sweat, the, . . , 
Bonds of the covenant, the 
Bow in the cloud, the, . 
Branches, the, . . , 
Brevity of life, . . , 
Brevity of Scripture, . 
Burial of Christ, . . . 



. Luke 
. Gen. 
. Exod. 
. Psa. 
. Psa. 
. Isaiah 
. Gal. 
. ICor. 
. Luke 
. Ezek. 
. Ezek. 
. John 
. Job 
. John 
. ICor. 



Call to depart, the, .... 
Captiousness of the Pharisees, 
Cessation of the manna, the, . 
Changes in the wilderness, . 
Character of Cornelius, . . 
Character of gospel times, 
Christ the resurrection, . . 
Christ seen of numbers, . . 
Christ's inheritance, . . . 
Christ going up to Jerusalem, 
Christ praying in his agony, . 
Christ talking with the woman, 
Christ leaving this world, 
Christ entering heaven, . . 
Christ's power and dominion, 
Christian moderation, . . . 
Christians not comfortless, . 



Mieah 

Matt. 

Josh. 

Num. 

Acts 

Zech. 

John 

ICor. 

Psa. 

Luke 

Luke 

John 

John 

IPet. 

Matt. 

Phil. 

John 



13:5 
13:11 
32:11 
22:43 

2:8 

9:52 

11:30 

87:7 
.24:50 

2:1 
40 : 20 
15:25 
65:5 
,3:8 
33:17 

3:9 

8:3 
22:44 
20:27 

1:28 
15:5 
10:20 
21:25 
15:4 

2:10 
9:11 
5:12 
10:12 
10:2 
3:10 



11:25 

15:6 

2:8 

9:51 

22:44 



17:27 

4:5 

14:18 



Christian joyful, the, . 


. Isaiah 


9:3 


Christian gratitude, 


. 2 Cor. 


9:15 


Christian obligation, the, 


. 1 John 


2:6 


Circumstantial truth, . . 


. John 


21:23 


Children of the day, 


. 1 Thess. 5:5 


Clean heart, the, . . . 


. Jer. 


4:14 


Commendation, . . . 


. Phil. 


2:12 


Coming soul discouraged, 


. Luke 


9:42 


Concern for the best cause 


, . Psa. 


72:15 


Confidence and caution, 


. Psa. 


85:8 


Confidence from knowledge, . 2 Tim. 


1:12 


Conversion of the Corinthians, Acts 


18:7 


Conversion of the Samaritan- 




ess, 


. John 


4:3 


Conversion of a sinner, 


. James 


5:20 


Creature dissatisfaction, 


. Psa. 


55:6 


Creature dependence vain 


, . Lam. 


4:20 


Cripple's adherence, the, 


. Acts 


3:11 


Curiosity reproved, 


. John 


21:22 


Daily dying, 


. 1 Cor. 


15:31 


Daily mercy, .... 


. Psa. 


86:3 


Daniel delivered, . . 


. Dan. 


6:23 


David's resolution, . * . 


. Psa. 


61:23 


Dayspring, the, . . . 


. Luke 


1:78 


Death of Christ, the, . 


. Rom. 


5:8 


Death and life with Christ 


, . Rom. 


6:8 


Death not always desirable, . Amos 


5:18 


Dedication of David's house, . Psalm 


30 


Delighting in mercy, . 


. Micah 


7:18 


Departure of Christ desired, . Matt. 


8:34 


Departure from Egypt, 


. Exod.. 


13:18 


Design of the incarnation, 


. John 


10:10 


Desirable fellowship, . 


. Num. 


10:32 


Difference between words and 




deeds, 


. Deut. 


5:28 


Disinterested inquiry, the 


. 2 Sam. 


9:1 


Discouraged pilgrim, . 


. Num. 


21:4 


Divine assurance, the, . 


. Gen. 


32.12 


Divine defence, the, 


. Job 


1:10 


Divine healer, the, . . 


. Matt. 


8:7 


Divine example, the, . 


. Deut. 


32:11 


Divine engraving, the, 


. Zech. 


3:9 


Divine inquiry, the, 


. IKing 


sl9:13 



648 



INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 



Divine knowledge, . . 
Divine presence, the, . 
Divine relief, .... 
Divine requisition, the, 
Divine revelation, the, 
Divine solicitude, . . 
Divine strength, . . . 

Door, the, 

Dove, the, 

Dwelling-place of Jesus, the, 

Early rising, . . . . . . 

Earthly comforts blessed, 
Elisha's sickness, . . . . 

Elijah's journey to Horeb, 
Encouragement to prayer, 
End of affliction, the, . . . 
End of ordinances, the, . . 

Epenetus, 

Evidence of faith, the, . . 
Experience of divine grace, . 
Extent of Christian knowledge, 
Exultation in God, . . . . 



Faith questioned, . . 
Faint, ...... 

Fear forbidden, . . . 
Filial duty, .... 

Fiery cloudy pillar, the 
Flesh and spirit, . . . 
Former days remembered, 
Food blessed, the, . . 
Free prisoners, the, 
Friends of Jesus, the, . 



Gladdening river, the, 
Glory that followed, the. 
God of nature and grace, 
God choosing our resting-ph 
God for ever ours, . •. 
God only true, . . . 
God's thoughts, . . . 
God's people glorified, 
God's joy in his people, 
God's hidden ones, . . 
God's sole agency . . 
God's conducting Israel, 
God's holiness, . . . 
God's love to his people, 
God the husband of his church, 

God proved, 

God's union with his people, 
God's going forth as the morn- 
ing, 

God's offspring, . . , 
God's loving-kindness, 
God's word and works, 
Good Shepherd, the, 
Good to be here, 
Gracious purpose, the, 



Col. 


1:10 


Exod. 


33:14 


Rom. 


7:25 


Ezek. 


36:37 


Gal. 


1:16 


Deut. 


5:29 


Zech. 


10:12 


John 


10:9 


Luke 


3:21 


John 


1:38 


Mark 


1:35 


Exod. 


23:25 


2 Kings 13: 14 


IKing 


s 19:8 


Psa. 


86:5 


Job 


10:2 


Matt. 


11:7 


Rom. 


16:5 


John 


9:35 


Psa. 


34:8 


1 John 


2:20 


Psa. 


34:2 


John 


16:31 


Judges 


8:4 


Deut. 


20:1 


Mai. • 


1:6 


Exod. 


13:21 


Rom. 


7:25 


Heb. 


10:32 


Luke 


24:30 


Zech. 


9:11 


John 


15:15 


Psa. 


46:4 


IPet. 


1:11 


Psa. 


29:11 


Num. 


10:33 


Psa. 


48:14 


Rom. 


3:4 


Jer. 


29:11 


Zech. 


9:16 


Zeph. 


3:17 


Psa. 


83:3 


Deut. 


32:12 


Deut. 


32:10 


Psa. 


30:4 


Deut. 


33:3 


Isaiah 


54:5 


Mai. 


3:10 


Jer. 


3:14 


Hosea 


6:3 


Deut. 


14:1 


Psa. 


26:3 


John 


14:29 


Luke 


15:5 


Matt. 


17:4 


1 Thess. 5:9 



Gracious state, the, . . . Rom. 5:2 

Gratitude and confidence, . Acts 28:15 

Grace in Christ, 2 Tim. 2 : 1 

Grand attainment, the, . . Phil. 3:11 
Great sight at Bethlehem, the, Luke 2 : 15 
Grieving the Spirit, . . . Ephes. 4 : 30 
Growing empire, the, . . . John 3 : 30 
Groundless accusation, the, . Job 1 : 9 

Habitual piety, . . . . . Prov. 23:17 

Harvest, Joel 3:13 

Healthful inhabitant, . . . Isaiah 33 : 24 

Hearer of prayer, the, . . . Psa. 65:2 

Heart united to- religion, the, Psa. 86:11 
Heavenly Shepherd, the, . . Rev. 7 : 17 
Heavenly proposal, . . . Deut. 1:21 
Heavenly preparation, . . 2 Cor. 5:5 

Heirship, Titus 3:7 

Highest prize, the, . . . .Phil. 3:8 

Holy unction, 1 John 2:20 

Holy One incorruptible, the, Psa. 16 : 10 

Hope exceeded, Gen. 48:11 

How to read the Scriptures, . Luke 10:26 
Humble walking, .... Micah 6 : 8 

I am a burden to myself, . . Job 7:20 

Ignorance of Christ, . . . John 14 : 9 

Impatience, Psa. 55 : 8 

Important inquiry, the, . . Acts 9 : 6 

Important recollection, . . Deut. 24 : 18 
Importance of faith, . . . John 9 : 35 

Importance of obedience, . ' . John 15 : 14 
Impotent man tried, . . . John 5 : 8 

Inattention, Isaiah 42:20 

Indwelling sin deplored, . . Rom. 7 : 24 

Injuriousness of unbelief, . . Matt. 13:53 
Intimacy with Jesus, . . . Acts 4 : 13 

Isaac old and dim, ... . Gen. 27 : 1 

Israel's song at Beer, . . . Num. 21:16 

Jacob's prayer, Gen. 32:9 

Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, Luke 19:41 

Jesus at the feast, .... John 11:56 

Jesus at the lake, John 21 : 1 

Job's confession, .... Job 40:4 

Job's praying for his friends, Job 42 : 10 

Joseph in prison, .... Gen. 39:20 

Joseph with his sick father, . Gen. 48 : 1 

Joyful servant, .... .Psa. 86:4 

Joy in sorrow, ' 2 Cor. 6 : 10 

Joy in God's salvation, . . 1 Sam. 2 : 1 

Joy of harvest, Isaiah 9 : 3 

Joy before God, Isaiah 9 : 3 

Justification free, .... Gal. 2:16 
Justification and sanctifica- 

tion, ICor. 6:11 

Kingdom of God, . . . . 1 Cor, 4:20 

Knowledge of our sinfulness, Job 13:23 
Knowledge increased, ... 2 Pet. 3 : 18 



INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 



649 



Lazarus sick, .... 
Learning to pray, . . 
Learner, the, .... 
Leaven in the meal, 
Life more abundantly, 
Looking for God, . . 
Lord our Judge, the, . 
Lore to the brethren, . 
Love of Jesus to his own, 
Loving-kindnesses, . . 
Lovely household, the, 



Marys at the sepulchre, the, 
Members one of another, . 
Mephibosheth's humility, . 
Messiah the Prince, . . . 
Morning arm, the, . . . 
Morning devotion, . . . 
Morning star, the, . . . 
Moses apprized of his death, 

Mutual aid, 

Mutual dependence, . . 
Mutual service 



John 

Luke 

Luke 

Matt. 

John 

Isaiah 

Isaiah 

1 John 



11:3 
11:1 

8:35 
13:25 
10:10 

8:17 
33:22 

3:16 



John 13 : 
Isaiah 63: 
Acts 10 : 



Nations divided, the, . . 
Needful caution, the, . . 
Needful disturbance, the, . 
Needless alarm, the, . . 
Never-failing relation, the, 
New-born citizens, . . . 

Noah's walk, 

Noble resolve, the, . . . 

One thing needful, . . .* 

Our hope, ... . . 

Our Lord's praying, . . 

Our peace in trouble, . . 



Matt. 

Rom. 

2 Sam. 

Dan. 

Isaiah 

Psa. 

Rev. 

Num. 

Num. 

Phil. 

Gal. 

Deut. 

Prov. 

Deut. 

Job 

Hosea 

Psa. 

Gen. 

Psa. 



27:61 

12:5 

9:7 

9:25 

33:2 

5:3 

2:28 

27:12 

10:31 

4:2 

1:5 

32:8 
3:5 

32:11 

10:2 
2:19 

87:4 
6:9 

85:8 



. John 4:10 

. ITim. 1:1 

. Luke 11:1 

. Micah 5:5 



Passing under the rod, . . £zek. 20:37 
Paul's salutation of the Ro- 
mans, Rom. 16 : 15 

Paul encouraged at Corinth, Acts 18:9 

Paul's desire, Phil. 3 : 8 

Paul employed at tent-mak- 
ing, Acts 18 : 1 

Paul wishing to see Rome, . Rom. 1 : 10 

Perpetual guide, the, . . . Psa. 48 : 14 

Personal inquiry, the, . . . John 9 : 35 

Persevering suppliant, . . Matt. 15 : 27 

Peter brought to Christ, . . John 1 : 42 

Peter following afar off, . .Matt. 26:58 

Peter weeping, Mark 14 : 72 

Peter and John, Acts 3 : 1 

Peter's destiny, John 21:18 

Peter remembered, .... Mark 16:7 

Piety and charity, .... Acts 3 : 2 
Pious exclamation, the, . . 1 Sam. 3 : 9 

Pious pair, the, Luke 1 : 6 

Plaintive prayer, the, . . . Psa. 25 : 16 

Power and goodness, . . . Rom. 10:12 



Prayer and trouble, . . . Psa. 86 : 7 

Prayer and thanksgiving, . Phil. 4 : 6 

Prayer indispensable, . . . Psa. 2 : 8 

Practical preacher, .... Phil. 2 : 16 

Privileges of the upright, . Psa. 37 : 18 

Prophet of the Lord, . . .Acts 3:22 

Prosperity injurious, . . . Hosea 13:6 

Prosperity in the divine life, Psa. 92 : 12 

Pursuing, . Judges 8:4 

Questioning of Peter, the, .John 21:18 



Real miracle, the, . . . . 
Reflections for the new year, 
Regard to Israel's weakness, 
Religious growth, . . . . 
Repentance flowing from mer- 
cy, 

Revealer of secrets, the, 
Riches of mercy, . . 
Rising and resting prayer, 
Robbery of God, . . 



Acts 
Exod. 
Exod. 
Mai. 



the. 



Sabbath influences, . . 
Sad defection, the, . . . 
Saints in the^Lord's hand, 
Satan disappointed, 
Satan resisted, . . . 
Saviour's agency, the, . 
Saviour's apprehension, the, 
Saviour's attraction, the, 
Saviour's legacy, the, . 
Saviour's obedience, the, 
Saviour's peace, the, . 
Saviour's stipulation, the. 
Scriptures opened, . . 
Seasonable admonition, the, 
Seasonable strength, . 
Season of life, the, . . 
Seat of prayer, the, 
Seed of the Messiah, the, 
Seeker encouraged, the, 
Seeking Christ crucified, 
Self-pleasing renounced, 
Shadow from the heat, 
Shining light, the, . 
Showing himself risen, 
Sickle used, the, . . 
Sight of God's glory, . 
Sins punished and improved, 
Sinless Saviour, the, . . 
Smitten Shepherd, the, 

Sobriety, 

Sparing mercy, . . . 
Spiritual beggar, the, . 
Spiritual devotion, . , 
Stranger and sojourner, the, . 
Strength in the Lord, . 
Strength of grace, the, 
Strong confidence, . , 



Rom. 

Dan. 

Ephes. 

Num. 

Mai. 

Rev. 

Matt. 

Deut. 

John 

Ephes. 

Mark 

John 

Zech. 

John 

John 

Psa. 

John 

Luke 

Jer. 

Deut. 

IPet. 

2 Sam. 

Psa. 



3:9 
40:2 
13:17 

4:2 

2:4 

2:28 

2:4 

10:35 

3:8 

1:10 
26:56 
33:3 
14:30 
4:27 
7:37 
18:7 
3:9 
14:27 
14:31 
63:1 
18:8 
24:32 
13:16 
33:35 
4:2 
7:27 
89:36 



lChron.l6:10 



Matt. 28 

Rom. 15 

Isaiah 25 

Prov. 4 

Acts 1 

Joel 3 
Exod 
Num. 



33:18 
16:38 



1 John 3 : 5 
Zech. 13:7 
1 Thess. 5 : 8 
Mai. 3:i; 



Luke 
Psa. 
Psa. 
Ephes 
2 Tim. 



11:9 

25:1 
39:12 
6:10 
2:1 



Job 13:15 



650 



INDEX OF SUBJECTS. 



Strong faith, . . . . 
Subjects agents too, the, 
Submission to God, . . 
Successful follower, the, , 
Sun of righteousness, the, 
Surrender, the, . . . , 



the, 



Tenderness of God's care, 
Third appearance, the, 
Three heroes, the, . . 
Title known, the, . . 
Tongue loosed, the, 

Too late, 

Treasure hid in the field, 
Trial of the scribe, the, 
Trials not strange, . . 
True friendship, . . . 
Two births, the, . . . 
Two commandments, the. 



Unbelief of Christ's breth- 
ren, 

Union with Christ, .... 
Union of hope and fear, . . 
Un lonely solitude, the, . . 



Dan. 


3 


17 


Jer. 


4 


14 


James 


4 


7 


Hosea 


6 


:3 


Mai. 


4 


:2 


Acts 


9 


6 


Deut. 


1 


31 


John 


21 


14 


Dan. 


3 


12 


Gen. 


15 


8 


Matt. 


9 


33 


Luke 


19 


42 


Matt. 


13 


44 


Matt. 


8 


19 


IPet. 


4 


12 


1 Sam. 


23 


16 


Gal. 


1 


15 


1 John 


3 


23 


John 


7 


5 


1 Thess. 5 


10 


Psa. 


33 


18 


John 


16 


:32 



Unlooked-for companion, the, Luke 24 : 13 

Use of the law, the, • . .Gal. 3 : 34 

Use of means, the, .... Matt. 17 : 27 

Yalue of the Saviour, the, . Lam. 4 : 20 

Valuation of the Sabbath, the, Isaiah 58 : 13 

Varied experience, .... Psa. 5 : 3 

Victor, the, Rev. 3:21 

Vine, the, John 15 : 5 

Vineyards in the wilderness, . Hosea 2 : 15 



Waiting church, the, . 
Waiting recommended, 
Walking in God's truth, 
Washing the disciples' feet, 
Water-pot left, the, . . 
Well-attended flock, the, 
Wisdom of zeal, the, . 
With Jesus in the garden, 
Whole and the sick, 
Word of Christ, the, . 
Word of life, the, . . 



Zeal to save, 
Zion's sons, 



Psa. 
Psa. 
Psa. 

John 

John 

Ezek. 

Phil. 

John 

Matt. 

Col. 

Phil. 

John 
Lam. 



65:1 
37:34 
86:11 
13:1 
4:28 
34:15 

1:9 
18:26 
12 
16 



9 
3 
2:16 



1:42 
4:2 






TABLE OF TEXTS 



THE MORNING EXERCISES 





GENESIS. 


Chap. 


Ver. Month. 


Chap. 


Ver. 


Month. 


Chap 


Ver. 


Month. 


32 


8 June 15 


13 


23 


December 4 


6 


9 


January 19 


32 


10 September 6 


40 


4 


December 3 


15 


8 


September 13 


32 


12 November 12 








27 


1-4 


June 11 


32 


11 November 13 




PSA-LMfe. 


32 


9-12 


February 4 


32 


11 November 14 


2 


8 


May 26 


32 


12 


January 2 


32 


11 November 15 


2 


8 


May 30 


39 


20 


February 8 


33 


25 January 4 


3 


8 


January 24 


40 


20 


January 14 






5 


3 


August 18 


48. 


1-2 


January 25 




JOSHUA. 


16 


10,11 


April 7 


48 


11 


January 18 


5 


12 January 3 


25 


1 


January 15 




EXODUS. 




JUDGES. 


25 


16,17 


February 13 












26 


3 


June 16 


13 


17,18 


January 12 


8 


4 July 3 


29 


11 


June 23 


13 


18,19 


May 10 


8 


4 July 4 


30 




May 2 


13 


21,22 


June 12 










15 
23 
33 


25 
25 
14 


January 31 
February, 22 
September 21 


2 
3 


I. SAMUEL. 

1 November 11 
9 September 3 


30 
33 
34 


4 

18 

2 


August 12 
March 8 
February 9 


33 
40 


18 
2 


July 1 
January 1 


23 


16 December 16 
II. SAMUEL. 


34 
37 

37 


8 
34 
18 


July 21 
August 23 
March 25 




NUMBERS. 


7 


27 May 6 


39 


12 


October 6 


10 


12 


October 10 


9 


1 August 13 


48 


14 


January 9 


10 


31 


February 12 


9 


7,8 August 14 


48 


14 


November 5 


10 


32 


March 1 






46 


4 


June 30 


10 


33 


June 25 




I. KINGS. 


55 


6 


February 2 


10 


35,36 


April 22 


19 


8 July 11 


55 


8 


September 25 


16 


38 


June 13 


19 


13 June 28 


61 


2,3 


April 23 


21 


4 


February 21 




II. KINGS. 


61 


5 


June 20 


21 


16,19 


July 2 


13 


14 November 21 


65 


1 


August 15 


27 


12, 13 January 21 
DEUTERONOMY. 


13 
13 


19 November 22 
20, 21 November 23 


65 
65 

72 


2 

3 

15 


August 25 
August 28 
October 31 


1 


21 


March 6 




I. CHRONICLES. 


81 


10 


November 13 


1 


31 


January 28 


1G 


10 July 28 


83 


3 


November 16 


3 


25 


May 24 






85 


8 


October 18 


5 


28 


October 15 




JOB. 


85 


8 


October 2 


5 


29 


October 21 


1 


9 December 1 


.86 


3 


March 20 


14 


1 


May 29 


1 


10 December 6 


86 


6 


February 17 


20 


1 


March 13 


10 


2 December 14 


86 


5 


July 23 


24 


18 


February 3 


10 


2 December 21 


' 86 


7 


October 29 


33 


3 


March 4 


10 


20 December 30 


86 


11 


January 6 


33 


3 


September 12 


42 


10 December 11 


86 


11 


March 24 


32 


7 


March 19 


13 


15 December 29 


87 


4,5 


December 19 



652 



TABLE OF TEXTS. 



Chap. 


Ver. 


Month. 


Chap. 


Ver. 


Month. 


Chap. 


Yer. 


Month. 


87 


7 


December 23 


5 


5 


December 5 


9 


51 


May 16 


89 


36 


November 17 


6 


8 


June 6 


9 


52-56 


May 12 


92 


12 


November 24 


7 


18 


June 10 


10 


26 


November 1 




PROVERBS. 




ZEPHANIAH. 


11 
11 


1 
1 


July 9 
August 8 
January 23 


3 


5 


September 14 


3 


17 


March 21 


11 


9 


4 


18 


October 4 




ZECHARTAH. 


19 


41 


February 26 


23 

8 
9 
9 
9 


17 November 28 

ISAIAH. 

17 May 8 
3 September 9 
3 September 10 
3 September 11 


3 

3 
3 . 

9 

9 

10 


• 9 
9 
10 
11 
16 
12 


April 13 
April 17 
April 11 
September 18 
February 24 
September 5 


19 

22 
22 
.22 
24 
24 
24 
24 


42 
43 
44 
44 

13-15 
23 
30 

50,51 


April 24 
April 29 
April 1 
April 20 
February 6 
January 22 
May 31 
October 11 


25 
33 


4 
2 


June 27 
June 5 


13 


7 


August 24 


33 


22 


June 7 




MALACHI. 








33 


17 


October 20 


1 


6 


September 30 




JO-tLXS . 


3? 


24 


January 27 


3 


8 


March 10 


1 


36 


January 11 


42 


20 


October 19 


3 


10 


July 24 


1 


42 


September 26 


54 


5 


September 22 


3 


17 


October 13 


1 


42 


September 27 


58 


13 


December 22 


4 


2 


May 7 


3 


30 


August 10 


63 


7 


March 11 


4 


2 


February 20 


4 


10 


May 5 




JEREMIAH. 




MATTHEW. 


4 
4 


3,4 

28 


June 22 
June 4 


1 


6 


November 26 


8 


7 


November 4 


4 


27 


June 26 ■ 


4 


14 


October 26 


8 


19,20 


December 17 


5 


8 


February 7 


4 


14 


October 27 


8 


20 


December 18 


7 


5 


November 7 


29 


11 


January 16 


8 


34 


March 30 


9 


35 


November 25 


« 






9 


11 


November 8 


9 


35 


November 19 




EZEK1EL. 


9 


12 


November 9 


9 


35 


November 30 


1 


28 


July 19 


9 


33 


May 27 


10 


9 


October 25 


20 


37 


May 14 


11 


7 


July 6 


10 


10 


October 22 


20 


37 


May 15 


13 


23 


April 18 


10 


10 


Octqber 23 


34 


'15 


October 7 


13 


44 


July 26 


10 


14 


October 12 


36 


37 


July 13 


13 


53,58 


July 15 


11 


3 


August 21 


2 
3 
3 
6 
9 


DANIEL. 

28 November 6 
• 12 February 16 
17, 18 May 17 

24 May 9 

25 October 30 


15 
17 
17 
17 
23 
26 
26 


27 
4 
27 
27 
8 
56 
58 


December 2 
May 18 
August 16 
September 17 
May 23 
April 15 
March 2 


11 
11 
13 
13 
13 
14 
14 


25 

56 

1 

1 

4,5 

9 

18 


November 10 
December 20 
February 28 
April 28 
May 19 
June 14 
April 16 




HOSEA. 


27 


61 


December 12 


14 


27 


July 14 


1 


1 


September 7 


28 


5 


April 21 


14 


27 


September 4 


2 


9 


August 31 




MAR 


14 


29 


March 26 


2 


15 


May 1 


1 


35 


April 25 


14 


30 


March 28 


2 


19 


August 26 


7 


37 


March 27 


14 


31 


March 31 


6 


3 


August 20 


14 


72 


February 19 


15 


5 


June 1 


13 


5 


October 9 


16 


7 


April 30 


15 


5 


June 2 


13 


6 


October 14 








15 


i4 


February 14 










LUKE. 


15 


15 


March 7 




JO.UL.. 


1 


6 


December 28 


16 


31 


February 1 


3 


13 


August 5 


1 


78,79 


December 24 


16 


32 


January 29 


3 


13 


August 6 


2 


1-6 


December 25 


18 


7 


April 2 




AMOS. 


2 


8,9 


December 26 


18 


8 


April 3 


5 


18 


October 1 


2 
3 


15 

22 


December 27 
January 20 


21 
21 


1 

14 


July 31 
July 30 




MICAH. 


8 


35 


April 26 


21 


18 


August' 1 


2 


10 


September 29 


9 


42 


December 7 


21 


18,19 


August 2 



TABLE OF TEXTS. 



653 



Chap. Ter. Month. 

21 19,22 August 3 

21 ' 23 August 4 

21 25 October 1G 

ACTS. 

1 3 July 29 

3 1 March 18 

3 2 June 9 

3 9, 10 February 15 

3 11 May 11 

3 22, 23 July 25 

4 13 July 20 

9 6 September 15 

9 6 September 16 

10 2 January 10 

10 7, 8 January 30 

18 1,3 June 18 

18 7,8 June 24 

18 9, 10 June 29 

28 15 December 31 

ROMANS. 

1 10, 11 February 18 

2 4 January 13 

2 4 September 8 

3 4 March 3 

3 24 April 12 

5 2 July 27 

5 8 April 4 

6 8 April 9 

7 • 24 July 7 

7 25 March 5 

7 25 May 13 

10 12 March 17 ' 
13 11 October 17 

15 3 May 4 

16 5 January 7 
16 15 February 25 

I. CORINTHIANS. 

4 20 August 7 
6 11 July 8 

8 3 October 28 

11 20 April 27 
15 4 April 5 



Chap. 


Ver. 


Month. 




I. TIMOTHY. 


15 


6 


April 6 


Chap. 


Ver. Month. 


15 


31 


July 12 


1 


1 June 3 


11 


. CORINTHIANS. 


1 


14 November # 27 


5 


5 


January 26 




II. TIMOTHY. 


6 


10 


November 3 


1 


12 March 23 


9 


15 


May 20 


2 


1 June 8 


9 


15 


July 10 


2 


1 June 19 


11 


30 


December 8 




TITUS. 




GALATIANS. 


3 


16 August 27 


1 ' 


15 


March 16 






1 


16 


May 3 




HEBREWS. 


2 


16 


May 22 


10 


32 July 16 


3 


9 


August 29 






3 


24 


January 17 




JAMES. 


5 


13 


March 12 


4 
5 


7 July 5 
20 February 23 




EPHESI 






2 


4 


July 18 




I. PETER. 


4 


27 


June 21 


1 


11 April 10 


4 


30 


May 25 


1 


17 August 30 


6 


10 


March 9 


3 

4 


22 October 5 
2 November 2 




PHILIPPIANS. 


4 


12 March 22 


1 


9 


December 13 






2 


12 


August 11 




II. PETER. 


2 


16 


May 21 


3 


18 May 28 


2 


16 


September 1 




I. JOHN. 


2 


16 


September 2 






3 


8 


March 14 


2 


6 September 24 


3 


8 


March 15 


2 


20 July 17 


8 


11 


April 8 


2 


20 August 17 


4 


2-4 


September 23 


3 


16 April 19 


4 


5 


October 3 


3 


5 September 20 


4 


6 


October 8 


3 


23 November 29 




COLOSSIANS. 




III. JOHN. 


1 


10 


February 27 




2 January 8 


3 


16 


August 22 




REVELATION. 


I. 


THESSALONIANS. 


1 


10 December 10 


5 


5 


February 11 


2 


28 October 24 


5 


8 


February 10 


3 


21 July 22 


5 


9 


March 29 


4 


10 January 5 


5 


10 


February 5 


7 


17 December 15 






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